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Israel's Top Cop Offers U.S. Terrorism Advice

(Wall Street Journal) Siobhan Gorman - Israel Police Commissioner Yochanan Danino arrived in the U.S. two days after the terrorist attack on the Boston Marathon as part of a long-scheduled U.S. trip and told U.S. officials: "It's very hard to deal with this kind of terrorism." The attacks appear not to be connected to a foreign terrorist organization, which meant foreign-intelligence clues would be of little help. "When it's individuals, you never know where it's going to come from." Still, he has been offering his U.S. counterparts three pieces of advice. First, make the homegrown or lone-wolf terrorist threat a high priority in counterterrorism strategies. Second, bolster surveillance technology, especially advanced camera systems like the one used by the New York Police Department that identifies suspicious behavior, like a person leaving a bag unattended for too long, and alerts officials of the anomalous behavior. However, all technology would have to be in line with privacy laws. Third, step up public education and awareness. In Israel, he said, the public is highly sensitized to activities that might reveal a bombing in the works, and they are quick to alert the authorities. He cautioned, though, that for a lone-wolf-type terrorist, "Every single case has a totally different story."
2013-04-24 00:00:00
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