Shots Fired Outside US National Security Agency

February 14, 2018 / By Armoured Cars / In security

At least one person has reportedly been shot and wounded and one suspect taken into custody at the US National Security Agency's headquarters.

Gunfire rang out after a black SUV pulled up at the entrance to the facility in Fort Meade, Maryland.

An NSA spokesman told local media the area outside America's electronic espionage agency was now secure after a "security incident".

Two Baltimore Police Officers Found Guilty Of Robbery And Corruption

February 13, 2018 / By Armoured Cars / In security

A federal jury has found two Baltimore police officers guilty for their role in a sprawling police corruption case that involved robbing city residents.

Daniel Hersl and Marcus Taylor were convicted of racketeering and robbery charges and cleared of others. They were part of an elite unit tasked with seizing illegal firearms. But instead the squad went rogue, stealing cash and guns and reselling drugs.

Thousands of cases could have been affected by the unit's corruption.

Home Secretary Reveals Jihadist Blocking Software

February 13, 2018 / By Armoured Cars / In security

The UK government has unveiled a tool it says can accurately detect jihadist content and block it from being viewed.

Home Secretary Amber Rudd said she would not rule out forcing technology companies to use it by law. Ms Rudd is visiting the US to meet tech companies to discuss the idea, as well as other efforts to tackle extremism.

Thousands of hours of content posted by the Islamic State group was run past the tool, in order to "train" it to automatically spot extremist material.

WWII 500kg Bomb Closes London City Airport

February 12, 2018 / By Armoured Cars / In security

London City Airport has been closed after a 500kg World War Two bomb was found nearby in the River Thames.

The airport will be shut all day and all flights cancelled, affecting up to 16,000 passengers, a spokeswoman said. The bomb was found at George V Dock on Sunday during pre-planned work at the east London airport, police said.

Families in the area have been evacuated with the exclusion zone set to be widened when specialists begin removing the device.

The airport was shut at 22:00 on Sunday. The Met Police said it was working with the Royal Navy to remove the bomb.

British IS Fighters Captured In Syria Should Face Trial

February 9, 2018 / By Armoured Cars / In security

The families of some of the victims of an Islamic State group that beheaded hostages have said two captured fighters should face trial.

British fighters Alexanda Kotey and El Shafee Elsheikh were captured by Syrian Kurdish forces.

Bethany Haines - whose father David, a British aid worker, was beheaded by the cell - said she hopes they die a "slow, painful death".

Terrorists Found To Have Taken Steroids Before London Attack Last June

February 9, 2018 / By Armoured Cars / In security

The three men who carried out last June's London Bridge terror attack were all found to have had steroids in their systems when they died.

Eight people were killed when Khurum Butt, Rachid Redouane and Youssef Zaghba drove a van into pedestrians and stabbed others in Borough Market. Police then shot and killed the men.

At a pre-inquest hearing at the Old Bailey on Friday, the court was told samples from all three attackers contained the steroid hormone DHEA.

Xavier Thomas, 45, from France and Chrissy Archibald, originally from British Columbia, were both killed on the bridge.

Facial Recognition Sunglasses Used By Chinese Police To Catch Criminals

February 8, 2018 / By Armoured Cars / In security

Police in China have begun using sunglasses equipped with facial recognition technology to identify suspected criminals.

The glasses are connected to an internal database of suspects, meaning officers can quickly scan crowds while looking for fugitives. But critics fear the technology will give even more power to the government.

The sunglasses have already helped police capture seven suspects, according to Chinese state media. Police used the new equipment at a busy train station in the central city of Zhengzhou to identify the suspects.

British Man Faces Terror Charges For Fighting Against IS

February 8, 2018 / By Armoured Cars / In security

A British man who fought against so-called Islamic State is to be charged with a terror offence.

Ex-soldier Jim Matthews, 43, of London, travelled to Syria and fought with the Kurdish forces, the YPG.

Mr Matthews will appear at Westminster Magistrates Court on 14 February to be charged with one count of attending a place used for terrorist training. He appeared in a Channel 4 documentary - The Brits battling Isis - about his fight against the jihadist group.

Suicide Response Calls Putting Strain On West Yorkshire Police

February 7, 2018 / By Armoured Cars / In security

An increasing number of people threatening to seriously harm themselves or take their own lives is putting "strain" on police resources, a force has said.

In the three years up to 2017 there was a 39% increase in reports to West Yorkshire Police where the word suicide was used, figures seen by the BBC show.

Ch Supt Paul Money said dealing with them was tying up his officers' time. Mental health professionals now work in the control room advising officers.

West Yorkshire Police logged 19,519 calls containing the word suicide in 2016. In 2014 it received 11,859 calls and 15,045 in 2015.

Pentagon Asked To Organise A Military Parade By President Trump

February 7, 2018 / By Armoured Cars / In security

US President Donald Trump has asked the Pentagon to organise a large military parade in the nation's capital.

The president made the request of top military chiefs in late January, after reportedly being impressed by a French Bastille Day parade last year. "It was one of the greatest parades I've ever seen," he later said. "We're going to have to try and top it."

Democrats compared the plan to displays of military might organised by autocratic nations.

The plan was first revealed by the Washington Post, before being confirmed by the White House press secretary, Sarah Sanders.