Iraqi Reality Show Plants Car Bombs on Celebrities

File under “S” for stupid.

Move over Punk’d, a new show on Iraq television makes unwitting contestants think they are going to jail after they are pulled over at a security checkpoint and a explosive device is found in their vehicle.

The show “Put Him in [Camp] Bucca” has received numerous protests but continues to air.

Popular public figures are tricked by being invited to the headquarters of  TV station Al Baghdadia to be interviewed, while en route a fake bomb gets planted in their car while they were being searched by Iraqi soldiers — who amazingly are in on the prank.

The unwitting celebrities are then secretly filmed, Candid-Camera-style, as they reacted with shock, disbelief and anger as fake checkpoint guards shout abuses at them: “Why do you want to blow us up?” “You are a terrorist.” “How much did they pay you to do it? You will be executed.”  Quality television indeed.

Click HERE for more on the story.

And just in case you think “how dumb is it that Iraqi soldiers are doing pranks like this in a war where untold lives are being lost“?  Meet a member of the US Military who while on active duty in Iraq, decided to film his own version of Punk’d by planting a explosive device in a car during a traffic checkpoint and filming the drivers reaction.   Nice.  Click HERE for the video.

8 Killed in Mexico Near Tourist Hotspot

Eight people died early Tuesday after attackers hurled several Molotov cocktails into a Cancun, Mexico, bar.

Six women and two men, all Mexican nationals and employees of the tavern, were killed.  The matter is  now under investigation by judicial police.

Eight men hurled the explosives at the bar and fled in vehicles, the release said. No shots were fired.  The tavern is just 5 kilometers from the city’s tourist stretch.

Think I need to repeat the last part:   The tavern is just 5 kilometers from the city’s tourist stretch.

The violence in Mexico is getting worse.  Travelers thinking that sticking to the tourist areas will keep them safe, may want to strongly consider additional precautions. 

For the story, click HERE.

Terrorism Dry Run?

Authorities in the Netherlands arrested two U.S. residents who arrived in Amsterdam on a flight from Chicago, after U.S. authorities raised concerns about items they considered suspicious in their luggage.

The two were passengers aboard United Airlines flight 908 on Sunday night and aroused suspicion because of items found in their checked luggage, the Homeland Security department said. “The items were not deemed to be dangerous in and of themselves, and as we share information with our international partners, Dutch authorities were notified of the suspicious items. This matter continues to be under investigation,” the department said.

A law enforcement official said investigators haven’t determined whether the items in the luggage, which included cell phones apparently attached to bottles of liquid, were an attempt at a dry run for a possible plot, or if the items were packed in that manner inadvertently. The men traveled to Chicago on flights from Birmingham, Ala., and Memphis, Tenn., then changed their flights, which prompted further scrutiny, the official said.

– Something was definitely up, and to me this sounds like a “dry run” to test the system.  Items found in one of the individuals checked luggage:

• Cellphone taped to Peto-Bismol Bottle
• Several watches taped togeter
• 3 large knives
• 3 Cellphones taped together

For the full (developing) story click HERE.

** UPDATE:  The men may not be charged as the items may have just been bundled GIFTS for relatives?

Caption This II

*These guys are actually part of the Turkish Presidential Detail, but something about this picture is begging for another installment of “Caption This” so let the comment’s begin!

See previous: CAPTION THIS

Travel Risk in War Zones

USA Today does a good piece on corporate employees working in war zones around the world.

“The nature of the job takes Nelson to unsafe parts of the world.  A legion of globe-trotting Americans face a similar situation, as a global economy has thrown them into the most remote regions of the world, where they’re exposed to war, natural calamity and a risk of terrorism and kidnapping — not to mention disease and petty crime.

In pursuit of new clients and suppliers, U.S. companies of all sizes and interests — ranging from Halliburton to Marriott and Starbucks— are sending more employees on hardship assignments and taking new, aggressive steps to protect them from an ever-changing range of threats. Several recent events — the murders of Western aid workers in Afghanistan, the three American hikers imprisoned in Iran, the massive flooding in Pakistan and the killing of tourists on a bus in Manila on Monday — continue to serve as stark reminders of the perils travelers face overseas.

“Most multinationals and even medium to small companies have to push into emerging markets,” says Bruce McIndoe, president of iJet, which provides global security services and intelligence reports for corporate clients.

About 10% of employees who are transferred from the U.S. are assigned to countries that are considered “dangerous or have harsh conditions of living,”

For the full story, click HERE.

Blackwater Founder Relocates to Middle East

Erik Prince owner of Blackwater (now Xe) has reportedly left the United States to relocate to The Abu Dahubi.  Prince, left the country after a string of civil lawsuits, criminal charges and Congressional investigations singled out Blackwater or its former executives and other personnel.  While fighting these, his enterprises have amassed hundreds of millions of dollars in contracts, mostly relating to the war on terror.   Current and former colleagues said Mr. Prince hoped to focus on security work from governments in Africa and the Middle East. They also said he was bitter about the legal scrutiny and negative publicity his company had received.

For the full story, click HERE.

See Related:  CIA Awards Blackwater 100 Million to Protect

See Related:  Blackwater Receives Afghan Contract

See Related:  Former Blackwater President Indicted

So what’s your take on this.  Is Mr. Prince on the run or just implementing a new strategy?

IRAN – Anatomy of a Presidential Detail

the good folks over at STRATFOR posted an excellent analysis of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s security detail as he navigated the crush of the crowds during a recent public appearance.  It was during that appearance, depending on who you ask, an explosive was detonated or a firecracker thrown.  Regardless, viewing the video shows you the challenges the Iranian presidential guard faces and the marked difference between this motorcade and that of say a US President.

To watch the analysis, as a part of their Above the Tear Line series, click HERE.

See Related:  Assassination Attempt on Iran’s President

Is There a Magazine for Bodyguards?

The short answer is yes.

The Circuit Magazine is THE official magazine for Bodyguards & Security Professionals (*and I’m not just saying that because i’m the US Managing Editor).

*Well maybe I am staying that because i’m the US Managing Editor, but also because it’s true!

Every quarter we (meaning the fine folks at the North American & British Bodyguard Associations) produce a full-color magazine that covers the A-Z of the industry, everything from tips on finding corporate clients to firearm reviews to lessons learned from high risk operators — The Circuit has it all.

We’ve also made it a bit easier to order current and past issues by teaming up with BodyguardMagazines.com, so If you’ve missed any, stop by the site today and complete your collection.

Afghan Government to Ban Private Security Contractors

Now this is interesting…

Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai issued a decree Tuesday disbanding all private security firms within four months.

The decree involves international and national private security companies and the security employees of those companies are able to join the Afghan national police with their weapons.

“In order to protect Afghan life and property, avoid corruption, security irregularities and the misuse of military weapons, ammunition and uniforms by the private security companies which have caused tragic incidents, and after the required assessment, I approve shutting down all private security companies within four months, including both domestic and foreign,” the decree said.

…The move spotlights the issue of the role and conduct of U.S. security contractors, who protect embassies and companies, perform training, and help convoys move through dangerous areas. Violent incidents involving such
contractors have enraged Afghans.  U.S. State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley told reporters on Monday that U.S. officials will study the decree, which was expected to be issued.

If US, Afghan relations weren’t icy before.   It’s no secret that private security contracting in war zones is now big business.  Can’t see these companies going quietly into the night.  Developing…

For the full story, click HERE.

Pat Tillman Family at Odds with Military Over Death

With the upcoming release of a movie based on Pat Tillman: the football star who was killed in a friendly-fire incident in the Afghan mountains and the allegations of a massive bureaucratic cover-up, new information is starting to surface regarding his family’s disbelief that the incident occurred the way the army brass reported.

One letter written by Pat’s father and penned to Brigadier General Gary M. Jones (the man spearheading the investigation) as well as the Senate Armed Services Committee (which oversaw Jones’s work) reads:

“You are a General,there is no way a man like you, with your intelligence, education, military, experience, responsibilities (primarily for difficult situations), and rank… believes the conclusions reached in the March 31, 2005 Briefing Book.”

For links to the gripping story, click HERE.