FACTBOX-Security developments in Pakistan, July 5

July 5 (Reuters) – Following are security developments in Pakistan at 0835 GMT on Monday:

* denotes new or updated developments.

LOWER DIR – Four suicide bombers were killed in a failed attack on a paramilitary fort in the northwestern district of Lower Dir that wounded 11 soldiers and two policemen, police and intelligence officials said.

One bomber rammed an explosives-laden vehicle into a gate, killing himself. Troops killed another bomber on foot and blew up a second vehicle which managed to reach inside the fort compound, killing two more suspected bombers.

* ORAKZAI – Air strikes killed 10 militants and destroyed five hideouts in the northwestern region of Orakzai, where the army has intensified attacks in recent months to target insurgents fleeing offensives in neighbouring regions, political official Asghar Khan said.

(Compiled by Augustine Anthony; Edited by Michael Georgy)

FACTBOX-Security developments in Afghanistan, July 5

July 5 (Reuters) – Following are security developments in Afghanistan at 0630 GMT on Monday.

HELMAND – Explosives hidden in a bazaar killed four Afghan civilians and wounded four more on Sunday in an area of southern Helmand province, the interior ministry said on Monday.

ZABUL – Two separate roadside bombs killed seven Afghan civilians and wounded four others in southern Zabul province on Sunday, the ministry said.

SOUTHERN AFGHANISTAN – An explosion killed a soldier of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) force on Sunday in an area of southern Afghanistan, the ISAF said in a statement. (Compiled by Sayed Salahuddin, Editing by Rob Taylor)

FACTBOX-Security developments in Pakistan, July 5

July 5 (Reuters) – Following are security developments in Pakistan at 0450 GMT on Monday:

LOWER DIR – Four suicide bombers were killed in a failed attack on a paramilitary fort in the northwestern district of Lower Dir that wounded 11 soldiers and two policemen, police and intelligence officials said.

One bomber rammed an explosives-laden vehicle into a gate, killing himself. Troops killed another bomber on foot and blew up a second vehicle which managed to reach inside the fort compound, killing two more suspected bombers. (Compiled by Augustine Anthony; Edited by Michael Georgy)

Blast wounds 11 soldiers in eastern Turkey

Turkey, June 11 (Reuters) – A roadside bomb attack by Kurdish separatist militants wounded 11 Turkish soldiers travelling a convoy in eastern Turkey, military officials said on Friday.

Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militants detonated the explosives by remote control in the mountainous Tunceli province on the road south to Elazig, the offcials said. One of the wounded soldiers was in a serious condition.

Military units have launched an operation in the area to track down the rebels.

PKK fighters regularly carry out such attacks on military vehicles in the mainly Kurdish southeast of the country. Clashes with the military have escalated in recent weeks with the onset of warmer weather in the mountainous region.

The PKK took up arms against the state in 1984 with the aim of creating an ethnic homeland in the region. More than 40,000 people have died in the conflict. (Writing by Daren Butler; Editing by Jon Boyle)

Taliban militants get life term in Pakistan

Islamabad, June 6 (IANS) A Pakistani court has handed down life terms to six Taliban militants accused of planning attacks on foreigners and manufacturing suicide jackets, officials said.

The court gave the sentence Saturday.

Police had arrested the six Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan militants, including a would-be suicide bomber near Lahore in February, and seized hand grenades, explosives, suicide jackets and five detonators, Xinhua reported quoting court officials.

Two men with militant ties arrested in NY – report

Two men were arrested late Saturday at John F. Kennedy International Airport where they were believed headed for meetings with militant groups in Somalia, The New Jersey Star Ledger reported.

The men were arrested as they tried to board flights to Egypt. They were charged with conspiring to commit an act of international terrorism through a group tied to al Qaeda, the newspaper said, citing officials familiar with the arrests.

Both in their twenties and both residents of New Jersey, the two men had been under investigation since October 2006, the Star Ledger said.

An unidentified official told the newspaper both men were unmarried American citizens.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office confirmed the arrests but said the pair did not pose any immediate threat. They are scheduled to appear on Monday in U.S. District Court in Newark, New Jersey.

Federal and local law enforcement officials searched the homes of both men where they conducted interviews and removed boxes of papers, a computer and other materials.

Authorities had infiltrated the men’s social circle and said the suspects were not planning an imminent attack in the New York-New Jersey area but were believed to be intending to join with the Al Shabaab youth movement to fight against Americans in Somalia, the report said.

One official briefed on the case was hopeful it would lead to a “web of arrests,” the newspaper said.

The arrests followed a failed attempt to explode a car bomb in New York’s Times Square last month and an incident on Christmas Day in which a 23-year-old Nigerian tried to blow up a Detroit-bound airliner by setting off explosives hidden in his underwear. (Reporting by Chris Michaud; editing by Chris Wilson)

Implant Sciences Products Selected as Best of Breed; Now on Permanent Display at Secure Strategy Group Washington D.C.

WILMINGTON, MA, Jun 02 (MARKET WIRE) —
Implant Sciences Corporation (PINKSHEETS: IMSC), a high technology
supplier of systems and sensors for homeland security and defense
markets, today announced that its products, including the QS-H150
explosives trace detection device, have been selected as ‘Best of Breed
Security Technology’ by Secure Strategy Group (SSG). The company’s
products will be showcased for permanent display and demonstration at the
new SSG Solutions Center in Washington D.C.

Secure Strategy Group is a strategic advisory firm that backs and builds
best of breed growth companies in the security technology field. The firm
identifies technologies that address key growth areas in the homeland
security market. These products and technologies are displayed at Secure
Strategy Group’s newly launched Washington D.C. showroom, the SSG
Solutions Center. Secure Strategy Group has been a consultant to Implant
Sciences since February 2009.

The SSG Solutions Center enables buyers, including government agencies,
prime contractors, and systems integrators, to “touch and feel” Implant’s
products. The SSG Solutions Center is located at the Center for
Innovative Technology (CIT), a world-class office complex located less
than five minutes from Dulles Airport, right in the heart of Washington,
D.C.’s technology corridor.

Scott Greiper, founder and President of SSG, stated, “We’ve selected
Implant Sciences and its products for showcase because Implant’s
portable, highly effective and cost-efficient QS-H150 directly addresses
one of the fastest growing sectors in homeland security.”

Robert Liscouski, Implant Sciences board member and SSG partner and Head
of Business Development and Strategy, added, “Being part of the permanent
display at the SSG Solutions Center will help Implant Sciences reach key
purchasers and opinion leaders in Washington. We hope this visibility
will lead to sales growth while decreasing associated operational
expenses for Implant.”

“We are pleased and honored to be selected by Secure Strategy Group as a
best of breed solutions provider. This is a very efficient way for our
products to gain further traction and continue to enhance our revenue
outlook,” stated Implant Sciences CEO, Glenn Bolduc.

About Implant Sciences

Implant Sciences develops, manufactures and sells sophisticated sensors
and systems for Security, Safety, and Defense (SS&D) markets. The Company
has developed proprietary technologies used in its commercial explosive
trace detection systems which ship to a growing number of locations
domestically and internationally. For further details on the Company and
its products, please visit the Company’s website at
www.implantsciences.com.

Safe Harbor Statement

This press release may contain certain “forward-looking statements,” as
that term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of
1995. Such statements are based on management’s current expectations and
are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause the Company’s
actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements.
Such risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the risks
that our explosives detection products and technologies (including any
new products we may develop) may not be accepted by the U.S. government
or by other law enforcement agencies or commercial consumers of security
products; our business is subject to intense competition and rapid
technological change; and other risks and uncertainties described in our
filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its most
recent Forms 10-K, 10-Q and 8-K. Such statements are based on
management’s current expectations and assumptions which could differ
materially from the forward-looking statements.

Contact:

Implant Sciences Corporation
Company Contact:
Glenn Bolduc, CEO
978-752-1700
gbolduc@implantsciences.com
or

Investor Contact:
Laurel Moody
646-810-0608
lmoody@corporateprofile.com

Copyright 2010, Market Wire, All rights reserved.

Expert says Orica split offers compelling benefits

May 31 (Reuters) – Plans by Australian explosives firm Orica (ORI.AX) to spin off its DuluxGroup paints and garden products business will offer compelling benefits to shareholders, according to an independent expert’s report published on Monday.

Basic Materials

The world’s top maker of explosives for mines said early this month it was going ahead with its previously shelved plan for a one-for-one float of DuluxGroup shares to Orica investors.

(Reporting by Mark Bendeich; Editing by Ed Davies)

Bengal Govt points finger at Maoist activists

Kharagpur, May 29 — The West Bengal government is saying Friday’s train tragedy in Jhargram was the handiwork of the Maoists. Chances are the government is right.

The spot, the surroundings and the events leading to the mishap have evidence of Maoist involvement. The drill is familiar: remove fishplates and plant explosives beneath the tracks so that trains are blown up as soon as they reach the spot.

South Eastern Railway General Manager A.P. Mishra said: “Preliminary investigations are pointing to a blast. If it had been a problem with the clip (which fixes the tracks with the sleepers) or the fishplate, the engine would have derailed first after hitting it.

But it passed over the tracks safely.” HT’s scrutiny lent credence to Mishra’s statement.

HT has explored certain possibilities. First, it could have been a Maoist operation as part of its countrywide disruptive plans.

On many occasions, Maoists had blown up tracks and caused derailment. Second, it was the job of local Maoist activists, People’s Liberation Guerrilla Army members, or People’s Committee Against Police Atrocities (PCAPA) supporters, but their leadership were not in the know of what was coming.

Third, others did it on some local issue, knowing that they would not be blamed in any case because Maoists are the usual suspects

Over 1,000 landmines found in Colombia

Bogota, May 26 (IANS/EFE) At least 1,053 landmines, which rebel guerrillas were planning to use in attacks ahead of the May 30 presidential elections in Colombia, have been found buried in a rural area in the northwestern region, police said.

The mines found in Antioquia province belonged to the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), ‘which planned to utilize the landmines to carry out terrorist attacks against the upcoming elections’, the National Police said Tuesday.

Last week, the commander of an army explosives disposal team was killed in a landmine blast, while the team was clearing a mine field in Antioquia province.

Capt Victor Hugo Valencia was killed May 17 near a place where the rebels blasted electricity transmission towers using dynamite, leaving residents of four towns without power.

Since 1990, over 1,700 people have been killed in landmine blasts planted by guerrillas and drug traffickers, the defence ministry said.

UP police arrests one for supplying arms to Maoists

Lucknow, May 21 (ANI): Uttar Pradesh Police on Friday arrested one person from Sonbhadra District on suspicion that he was supplying explosives to the Maoists.

Sonbhadra is over 300 kilometers from Lucknow.

According to police one Ashok Kumar was arrested from Langdra area in the district.

The police recovered detonators, gelatin rods and commercial explosive ammonium nitrate.

Police added that Kumar is making contradictory statements about the explosives recovered from his possession.

According to the police, over 50-kilograms of ammonium nitrate, 25 detonators and 25 gelatin rods were seized from Kumar.(ANI)

Pak civilian arrested in Chile denies illegal possession of explosives

Santiago, May 20 (ANI): Saifur Rehman Khan, the Pakistani civilian who was detained after traces of explosives were detected on him at the US Embassy in Chile, has denied all charges being labelled against him.

Saifur, who was released after charges of illegal possession of explosives were labelled against him, appealed to the US authorities to trust him, saying he was not involved in any wrongdoing.

“I have friends and family in the US and more than anyone I want America to be safe and secure. I have been to the US and I greatly admire the American values of truth, justice and freedom,” a statement released by him stated.

“As my defence pleaded, the panic appears to have stemmed from a false alarm… Please, have your trust in me. I have no knowledge of any substance that can cause harm to anyone. I wish the perpetrators of violence are caught,” The Daily Times quoted Saifur, as saying.

Saifur described the whole controversy as part of a ‘big misunderstanding’, which was could have been a result of some kind of ‘mistaken identity.’

Traces of Tetryl, a compound used as a booster to help detonate explosives, was found on documents and the mobile phone recovered from Saifur, while he was trying to enter the US Embassy in Chile. (ANI)

Times Square Bomb suspect Faisal Shahzad appears in court for his first hearing

New York, May 19 (ANI): Times Square bombing attempt suspect, Faisal Shahzad has been produced in court for his first trial after being charged with terrorism and possession of weapons.

Shahzad was wearing a gray sweat suit and was composed. He pleaded ‘no plea’ to the five felony charges against him.

He had admitted to driving the SUV bomb into Times Square and told authorities he had received terror training during a recent five-month trip to Pakistan.

He has been charged with using a destructive device in an attempted violent crime, punishable by up to 30 years in prison; transporting and receiving explosives, punishable by up to 10 years; and attempting to damage and destroy property with fire and explosives, punishable by up to five years.

Assistant public defender Julia Gatto said she was his attorney and requested for Shahzad to be provided Halal meals while in custody.

According to FOX News, authorities said that the ex-budget analyst from Connecticut had voluntarily waived his rights to an initial court appearance while he was cooperating.

Shahzad “has provided valuable intelligence from which further investigative action has been taken,” the U.S. attorney”s office in Manhattan said in a statement Tuesday, the report said. (ANI)

Maoist shutdown compel railway authorities to tighten security in Patna

Patna (Bihar), May 18 (ANI): In the wake of a two-day shutdown call of Maoists in five states, the Railway authorities have tightened its security measures here.

Maoists have called for a two-day shutdown beginning today in the five states of West Bengal, Jharkhand, Bihar, Orissa and Chhattisgarh, to protest the anti-Maoist operations by paramilitary forces.

Railway Protection Forces (RPF) personnel have been deployed at the railway station, to check the railway tracks with metal detectors to avoid any untoward incident.

“We along with the forces are checking for explosives at the Patna Junction. We are checking cars as well. We are also checking the railway property like engines. We are on high alert. Every corner of the station has forces deployed with metal detectors,” said A.M. Sharma, Sub Inspector, RPF, Patna.

The passengers appeared pleased with the security arrangements, but asserted that it should remain in the similar fashion throughout the year.

“On orders of Railways Minister Mamta Banerjee, every coach of the trains is being checked. People are very happy to see the kind of investigation and security arrangements,” said Binod Kumar, a passenger.

“But the main thing is that the kind of Maoist alertness now should be maintained. We strongly demand that,” he added. (ANI)

12 killed in Dera Ismail Khan suicide bomb attack

Islamabad, May 18 (ANI): A suicide attack in the Kalachi area of Dera Ismail Khan killed at least 12 persons, including a senior police official and injured of scores others on Tuesday (May 18).

According to reports, Kalachi District Superintendent of Police (DSP), Iqbal Marwat was on his way to his office when a rickshaw loaded with explosives rammed into vehicle.

Marwat, along with his guards and drivers were seriously injured in the blast. They were admitted to a local hospital, but succumbed to their injuries.

The hospital authorities have confirmed the death of 12 people. Several of the injured are stated to be critical, according to the News.

No terrorist groups has taken responsibility for the attack.(ANI)

Three killed, 12 injured in Kabul suicide attack

Kabul, May 18 (ANI): At least three persons were killed and scores other sustained injuries in a suicide attack which purportedly targeted US vehicles in the heavily fortified government area in Kabul on Tuesday.

According to initial reports, a suicide bomber rammed his explosives laden vehicle into another vehicle near the Afghan Energy and Water Ministry.

Abdul Ghafor Sayedzada, chief of Kabul police’s criminal investigation unit, said the blast was believed to have been targeted at US vehicles present in the area, which houses several government buildings and other important installations.

At least 12 injured persons have been admitted to hospitals across the city till reports last came in.

Unconfirmed reports said the Taliban has taken the responsibility for the suicide attack.

More details are awaited. (ANI)

Pak man arrested in Chile charged for illegal possession of explosives

London, May 16 (ANI): The Chile Government has charged Muhammad Saif-ur-Rehman Khan, a Pakistani student arrested at the US Embassy in Chile, for having traces of volatile material, with illegal possession of explosives.

Police said traces of Tetryl, a compound used as a booster to help detonate explosives, was found on documents and the mobile phone recovered from Khan, who was arrested on Monday, The BBC reports.

However, Khan has denied any wrongdoing and has been freed pending an investigation.

Earlier, he had blamed the US for his arrest and bringing unnecessary trouble for his family back home in Pakistan.

“I have nothing to do with bombs. I have nothing to do with terrorists. I don”t have a beard. They (the US) just want to cover up their shame and guilt for what they have done or are doing in Iraq and Afghanistan,” he had told media persons just after being detained.

Khan’s father, Mehmood Ahmad Rehman Khan, had alleged that his son has been implicated in a trap, and made a victim of racial profiling.

“My son became a victim of racial profiling and has been detained without a valid reason or evidence. His arrest was clearly a setup,” Mehmood had said earlier. (ANI)

25 killed, over 100 hurt in Iraq blasts

Baghdad, May 15 (IANS) Twenty-five people were killed and over 100 injured Friday in two bomb attacks in Iraq’s northern Nineveh province, police said.

An explosives-laden car was detonated targeting a football match played between two local teams in Telaffer city of Nineveh province. Minutes after the initial blast, a suicide bomber blew himself up in the middle of a crowd who gathered at the site, Xinhua reported citing police.

The Nineveh province is a stronghold of Al Qaida terrorists.

Holder vows to pursue Times Square suspects abroad

Washington, May 14 (ANI): Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. has told a House panel that the Obama administration would use all available resources to bring all those involved in the failed Times Square bombing plot to justice, whether they are in the United States or overseas.

“We now believe that the Pakistan Taliban was responsible for this attempted attack. We are currently working with the authorities in Pakistan on this investigation, and we will use every available resource to make sure that anyone found responsible — whether they be in the United States or overseas, the Washington Post quoted Holder as telling the House Judiciary Committee on Thursday.

Holder”s testimony came as federal agents executed new search warrants in the Northeast in connection with the car bomb plot and took at least three people into custody.

The plot failed when the explosives did not detonate and bystanders alerted police to a fire in a parked SUV.

The FBI said agents were searching locations in the Boston area, New York and New Jersey for evidence related to the Times Square investigation.

Holder told the House Judiciary Committee that “several individuals encountered during those searches” have been taken into federal custody for alleged immigration violations. He did not immediately provide further details of the arrests.

Faisal Shahzad, 30, a naturalized U.S. citizen originally from Pakistan, has been charged with attempting to detonate a homemade bomb in the back of his SUV on a busy Saturday night in Times Square.

An FBI complaint said he admitted his role in the attempted attack and said he had received bomb-making training in a rugged tribal area of his native Pakistan that harbors Taliban and al-Qaeda militants.

The Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility for the failed bombing and vowed to carry out other attacks in the United States.

Investigators are looking into possible links between Shahzad and the Pakistani Taliban and another militant group. (ANI)

Detained Pak youth’s father alleges his son’s arrest in Chile a ‘racial profiling trap’

Islamabad, May 13 (ANI): Father of Saif-ur-Rehman, the Pakistani man who was arrested in Chile on charges of entering the US Embassy with traces of explosives on his clothes, has alleged that his son is being implicated in a trap, and has been made a victim of racial profiling.

Mehmood Ahmad Rehman Khan said his son, who is doing an internship in a hotel in Chile, had received a phone call asking him to appear for an identification check at the US Embassy in Santiago.

He claimed that Saif, 28, had a visa, which was valid for five years.

“Saif, while chatting on the Skype with his family on May 7 (Friday), told me that a person named Bill had called him from the US embassy in Santiago and asked him to come to the US embassy for some identification check-up,” The Dawn quoted Khan, as saying.

“My son became a victim of racial profiling and has been detained without a valid reason or evidence. His arrest was clearly a setup,” he added. (ANI)