(THIS IS REALLY IMPORTANT):You will play the role of an FBI Intelligence Analyst assigned to a headquarters unit, with a national-level portfolio.VNN and Sox News are reporting that a driver of a large Ryder Rental truck crashed through the police barricades during the opening of the Christkindl Market at downtown’s Skyline Park and plowed over the unsuspecting celebrants. Quick-acting police officers were able to stop the vehicle with a hail of bullets, but not before the driver had left a wake of carnage and destruction. City officials reported that nine people were pronounced dead at the scene and dozens injured. Witnesses stated that at approximately 8 pm, while hundreds of people were celebrating the start of the Christmas season and enjoying the numerous German artisans and the local church choir, the holiday festival was interrupted by the horrible sound of terrifying screams as the truck drove onto the sidewalk at a high rate of speed and started to run over people. It is estimated that the driver was able to drive the truck for approximately a quarter of a mile before the police were able to bring the vehicle to a halt.During an impromptu press conference, Denver Mayor Michelle Wong* advised that local, state, and federal officials are investigating this matter; she was reluctant to call this a terrorist attack. Denver Police Chief Robert White* praised the work of his officers and the emergency first responders in dealing with this crisis. He further stated that the driver of the truck, whose identity is unknown at this time, was taken to Rose Medical Center in serious condition. This is the same medical facility to which his victims were taken. The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the Christkindl Market attack, calling the driver a “soldier” in its fight against “crusader states” and the “infidels.” The FBI Denver Division, via its Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF), has responded, has taken the point on the terrorism investigation, and is presently coordinating with the Denver Police Department. The FBIHQ, Counterterrorism Division, International Terrorism Operations Section has opened a preliminary terrorism investigation. You have been assigned to assist in the investigation and to task and coordinate the exchange of all pertinent information within the Intelligence Community. You also will be requested to draft the appropriate intelligence communications and conduct the appropriate FBIHQ briefings.The FBI Detroit Field Office advised FBIHQ that it initiated a preliminary civil rights investigation after the Detroit Police Department advised of a series of acts of vandalism on the Islamic Center of Detroit, the Masjid As-Sunnah, and Baitul Islam mosques. The vandalism included the breaking of windows and spray painting of graffiti on the buildings. The graffiti included Nazi swastikas, and the numbers “14” and “88.” Other offensive statements, such as “terrorist go home”, were also spray-painted on the buildings. The Detroit Police Department further advised it has had issues in the past with an anti-immigrant, white supremacist group known as “The Pack”, which was suspected of committing similar crimes in the city. The Michigan Fusion Center advised that The Pack operates a white supremacist website; the group recently posted its condemnation of the truck attack in Denver and called for the white community to rise against the Islamic immigrants that are “ruining this nation”. The purported leader of The Pack is William “Billy” Payne. Payne has an extensive criminal record and is currently imprisoned in the United States Penitentiary, Marion, Illinois, where he is serving a 20-year sentence for the armed robbery of a Brinks armored truck. Payne is still considered to be the leader of The Pack, and his writings and comments are regularly published on its website. The Pack is calling for a major protest targeting the Islamic communities of Michigan. It is being reported that The Pack is petitioning the City of Ann Arbor for a parade permit for September 11.The Michigan Fusion Center further advised that the Mayor has denied The Pack’s petition for a parade permit. Attorneys for The Pack, with support from the local ACLU, are bringing suit in Federal District Court charging that the City of Ann Arbor – by denying The Pack’s petition – is in violation of the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution by abridging the freedom of speech and the right to peaceably assemble. The Pack, in its complaint, cites U.S. Supreme Court case National Socialist Party of America v. Village of Skokie, 432 U.S. 43 (1977). The Pack has stepped up its hateful rhetoric aimed at the Muslim community in Detroit. The Detroit Police Department reported that three members of the Baitul Islam Mosque were attacked after evening services by three white males wearing white hoods and carrying baseball bats. The victims, who are currently at the St. John’s Hospital and Medical Center, reported that the attackers were calling the victims terrorists and told them if they did not go back to the Middle East, the attackers would keep coming back until they did. The Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division has authorized the civil rights investigations on the recent attack at the Baitul Islam Mosque and the previous acts of vandalism targeting the Islamic Center and mosques in Detroit. FBIHQ has opened a National Domestic Terrorism preliminary investigation against The Pack. The FBI Detroit Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF) has been assigned the lead for these acts of violence against the Detroit Islamic community.ISIS has released a video that condemns the recent attack at the Baitul Islam Mosque and calls for a jihad against all infidels in the United States and Israel. The video appeals to all Muslims living in the United States to use any weapons that they can find in order to join the jihad for an Islamic state, a Caliphate. The video also shows how to use automobiles and knives in suicide attacks in highly populated regions. The video pays homage to the recent truck attacks in Denver, New York, and Nice; and the knife attacks in London and Jerusalem.The Pack, on its website, is calling for a protest at the Baitul Islam Mosque in Detroit in four weeks – on April 20. This coincides with the Lollapalooza 4-day concert event being held at the Tiger Stadium in Detroit. The Southern Poverty Law Center is reporting that the protest is being promoted on the websites of the numerous white supremacist, neo-Nazi, skinhead, Christian Identity, anti-Muslim, and anti-immigrant groups. The New Jersey Department of Homeland Security issued an intelligence report that indicates that the Anti-Pack, a known affiliate of Antifa, is planning on counter-protest on April 20 in Detroit. MI-5 is reporting that known members of the London-based Hooligans are talking of traveling to the United States to attend the Lollapalooza event. Canadian Security Intelligence Service is also reporting that known participants of the violent anti-G20 summit, which led to 400 arrests in Toronto, also plan on travelling to Detroit during this timeframe.
Please read the following scenario and watch the news inject below before attempting your assignments for this module. Review common cognitive biases by clicking here (Links to an external site.) and reading through the Know Your Bias website.
The Federal District Court decided in favor of The Pack and orders the City of Ann Arbor to issue the requested parade permit. In the court’s opinion, the City of Ann Arbor violated The Pack’s First Amendment rights. The City of Ann Arbor has advised that it will not appeal the Court’s ruling and will issue the permit. The Islamic Center of Detroit, which had filed amicus curiae legal briefs in support of the City of Ann Arbor, issued a statement expressing its disappointment in the Court’s ruling and calling for the Islamic community to exercise its First Amendment rights to protest The Pack during the parade.
The Detroit Police Department advised that the Islamic Center of Detroit has rented ten school buses to transport community members to Ann Arbor on the morning of the scheduled parade. Intelligence further states that the Anti-Pack website has called for members to descend on Ann Arbor to stage a rally against The Pack. FBIHQ intelligence estimates, based on past protests, that approximately 100 members of The Pack will attend the Ann Arbor event and approximately 100 Anti-Pack members will oppose them.
The City of Ann Arbor Mayor’s Office issued a press release stating that although the Mayor was disappointed with the Court’s decision, the city will treat The Pack’s parade as if it were any other parade in the city. The Mayor advised that the Ann Arbor Police Department is capable in handling any security concerns. The Mayor compared the parade to the annual 4th of July parade. The Mayor further stated that he will not “turn his city into a police state” to handle a simple parade. The Chief of Police was quoted as stating that it was his intent to provide a secure environment for all participants while ensuring the peaceful exercise of the First Amendment.
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Shortly after the start of the parade, violence erupted when protesters commenced throwing rocks and bottles at the parade participants, which consisted of approximately 75-100 members of The Pack carrying anti-immigration signs and dressed in Nazi regalia. Those identified as throwing rocks and bottles were believed to be members of the Anti-Pack; it was estimated that they numbered approximately 100-150 protesters. These protesters were dressed in black and wearing helmets with their faces covered with bandanas. The violence turned into a riot when the parade participants broke ranks and entered onto the sidewalks of downtown Ann Arbor to confront the Anti-Pack members and members of the Detroit Islamic community.
In the ensuing melee, cars were overturned, fires were set, shop windows were broken, and looting occurred. Reports of gunfire were reported, but were not subsequently verified. The Ann Arbor Police Department was accused of standing by as the mayhem escalated. There were also reports of police officers watching passively for hours as the battle between the warring factions continued into the night. The violence did not come to an end until after 8 hours, when the Governor ordered hundreds of Michigan State Police Officers to assist in restoring order.
In the aftermath, over 60 people were injured, hundreds of thousands of dollars of property damage was recorded, and 75 people were arrested. Five Ann Arbor Police Officers were also injured during the riot. The Ann Arbor Police Officers advised that they became the prime target of the violence once they attempted to stop the melee. On its website, The Pack is calling for immediate retaliation against the Islamic community and the Anti-Pack. The Anti-Pack is claiming that it was the victim of police brutality and is calling for actions against the law enforcement community. Link:https://yourbias.is/
Assignment: As events continue to unfold in unexpected ways, the pace starts to take its toll on your leadership and colleagues. Conflict arises as various units argue over the best course of action. Some want to take an aggressive approach, while some want to wait and see what happens next, believing that things will calm on their own. Additionally, some want to keep information closely held to protect the investigation, while others want to share broadly with the local law enforcement community. You realize that you have to not only be careful about your own preconceived ideas of the groups involved, but also help your team to do the same while being cognizant of how it all looks to the public, and while protecting sensitive information. Directions: Draft a two-page intelligence bulletin for the law enforcement community. Ensure you supply recommendations on how the police should handle media requests. Make sure that your bulletin takes into account the likely perceptions of what has occurred, and anticipate the questions that will be raised by the media. Additionally, consider what information is likely to be considered law enforcement sensitive (LES), and the ways in which your law enforcement partners can navigate it effectively.
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Key things to keep in mind when writing this: Note, that the Bulletin in very similar to past intelligence reports, but the Bulletin serves a more general purpose and is often utilized to “educate” the stakeholders on an aspect of a particular law enforcement investigation, trend, threat, tactic, weapon, or a new technological or laboratory finding. THIS NEXT PART IS VERY IMPORTANT -The typical critique is as follows:
Remember that an FBI Bulletin is to warn of a threat, advise of situation that needs the Law Enforcement Communities attention, or provide a teaching moment of best practices, etc. You needed to provide more background of the situation to alert the general law enforcement community of the situation that occurred in Ann Arbor and that if you have a “Islamic Community” within your jurisdiction, ensure that you are proactive in preventing the escalation of violence by such groups.
Within your Bulletin you also want to provide some supporting analysis and citations of similar events. How about a comparison with the events at Charlottesville?
We all know that the Ann Arbor, and to a certain degree the State Police, mishandled the situation, therefore what are the lessons learned? Advise the LE community that “It is recommended that an impartial investigation be conducted of the incident in order to prevent a similar occurrence, and that the law enforcement community can learn how to appropriately prepare and respond to future similar events in order to mitigate the violence and destruction of property while protecting the civil rights of its citizens.”
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Since this Bulletin is going to all the LE communities throughout the nation, you have to be more diplomatic and not embarrass a police department with such phrases “watching passively” that have not been verified. Also, do not forget to advise the LE community to ensure that their media/press releases should blame those parties who caused this violence and brought the destruction to this community. In addition, they should ensure the public that those responsible will be brought to justice.
Be Analytical, think of the big picture, Use they key things in mind as a way to help guide you do this, must use background information.
