11 Feb 08. The Defense Department announced that charges have been sworn against six detainees at Guantanamo, alleged to be responsible for the planning and execution of the attacks upon the United States of America which occurred on Sept. 11, 2001. Those attacks resulted in the death of nearly 3,000 people. The charges allege a long term, highly sophisticated, organized plan by al Qaeda to attack the United States. The accused are: Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, Walid Muhammad Salih Mubarek Bin ‘Attash, Ramzi Binalshibh, Ali Abdul Aziz Ali, Mustafa Ahmed Adam al Hawsawi, and Mohamed al Kahtani. Each of the defendants is charged with conspiracy and the separate, substantive offenses of: murder in violation of the law of war, attacking civilians, attacking civilian objects, intentionally causing serious bodily injury, destruction of property in violation of the law of war, terrorism and providing material support for terrorism. The first four defendants, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, Walid Muhammad Salih Mubarek Bin ‘Attash, Ramzi Binalshibh, and Ali Abdul Aziz Ali are also charged with the substantive offense of hijacking or hazarding a vessel. All of the charges are alleged to have been in support of the attacks on the United States on Sept. 11, 2001. Now that sworn charges have been received, the convening authority will review the charges and supporting evidence to determine whether probable cause exists to refer the case for trial by military commission. The chief prosecutor has requested that charges to be tried jointly and be referred as capital for each defendant. If the convening authority, Susan Crawford, in her sole discretion, decides to refer the cases as capital, the defendants will face the possibility of being sentenced to death.
11 Feb 08. Raytheon Company has signed an addendum to the e-Borders contract it won in November 2007. Under the addendum, valued at £92m(approximately $179m), a Raytheon-led team will provide the U.K. Home Office extended functionality and services for the program. “We are off to a strong start on the e-Borders implementation, and we are pleased with the opportunity to provide additional services to the U.K. Home Office that further strengthen the effectiveness of our border solution,” said Mike Keebaugh, president of Raytheon’s Intelligence and Information Systems business. “We are very committed to this program and to its mission to deliver a secure border for U.K. citizens.” Keebaugh added, “Raytheon is on the leading edge of providing technology and management solutions to address infrastructure and border protection challenges across the globe. As effective visitor management continues to be a critical issue facing nations today, we are confident this will be a significant growth area for our company.” Other members of the Trusted Borders consortium are Serco, Accenture, Detica, QinetiQ, Capgemini, and Steria.
07 Feb 08. Raytheon Company’s Integrated Defense Systems delivered the first advanced sports utility vehicle-based radiation detection system to the Department of Homeland Security’s Domestic Nuclear Detection Office. The successful delivery of this system will allow DNDO to operate in urban environments and will enhance border security and national defense by preventing the smuggling of nuclear materials through ports of entry.
06 Feb 08. Israel plans Egypt border fence. Israel has approved the erection of a reinforced fence along its border with Egypt to stop Palestinian militants reaching Israel via the Sinai desert. The measure was agreed by a security cabinet meeting following the temporary breach of the Gaza-Egypt border, when thousands left Gaza unchecked. Plans for a fence were dropped years ago because the multi-million dollar price tag was deemed too expensive. Israel was struck by its first suicide bombing for more than a year on Monday. Initial speculation that the assailants were Gazans who arrived via the largely unguarded 230km (150-mile) Egyptian border was quas