MS Risk Blog

UK to Review Security in Wake of Nice Attack

UK Prime Minister Theresa May has announced that Britain’s security measures are being reviewed in the wake of the attack in Nice.

As armed police stood guard at the French Embassy in London, Mrs May stated that the nation “must redouble our efforts to defeat these brutal murderers who want to destroy our way of life.” She continued to state that “the threat level here in the United Kingdom is already at severe – that means a terrorist attack is highly likely,” adding, “senior officials today will be reviewing what more we can do to ascertain whether there is any further action to take.” She also stated that the capital stands “shoulder-to-shoulder” with France as it has done in the past and asserted “we must work with our partners around the world to stand up for our values and for our freedom.”

The National Police Chiefs’ Council has revealed that forces are reviewing the policing of large public events over the next seven days in order “to ensure the appropriate security is in place.”

Meanwhile Germany has also stated that it is increasing its border controls at airports as well as road and rail crossings into France. Prime Minister Charles Michel has stated that security is also being increased in Belgium ahead of a national holiday on 21 July.

On Thursday 14 July, at least 84 people, including several children, were killed and dozens more hurt after a man drove a lorry into crowds who had gathered to celebrate Bastille Day along the famous Promenade Des Anglais in the French seaside city.

IS Urged Vehicle-Ramming Attacks in 2014

In an audio recording two years ago, the so-called Islamic State (IS) group urged its followers to attack French people with vehicles.

A speech from the jihadists’ group’s spokesman, Abu Mohammed al Adnani, encouraged devotees to turn to more basic methods of terrorism if they were unable to obtain guns or explosives. In the recording, he stated, “if you are not able to find a bomb or a bullet, then smash his head with a rock, or slaughter him with a knife, or crush him with your car, or throw him down a high place, or choke him, or poison him.” In his remarks, Adnani singled out “the spiteful French” amidst a long list of enemies, which was topped by “the disbelieving American” and their allies.

His September 2014 speech came shortly after a US-led coalition, which included France, launched airstrikes against the jihadist group’s strongholds. A month later, a man rammed his car into two Canadian soldiers in Quebec, killing one of them, in an attack that may have been inspired by Adnani’s recording. In December 2014, a man rammed a van into a crowd of shoppers at a Christmas market in Nantes, injuring nearly twenty people. That incident came just days after another driver rammed pedestrians in the central French city of Dijon, wounding about a dozen. However in both incidents, police refrained from calling the Dijon and Nantes incidents attacks because they said that both individuals had a history of psychiatric illness.

The method has become more common in various parts of the world, however many of the vehicles involved in such attacks are usually rigged with large bombs. In June 2007, two men in a burning jeep smashed into the main terminal at Scotland’s Glasgow Airport. One of the men was later jailed for life, with the judge describing him as a “religious extremist.”

Third murder of environmental campaigner in recent months sees increased calls for the US to investigate and halt aid payments to Honduras until a thorough investigation is carried out

Honduras has one of the highest murder rates in the world, plagued by gang violence and high rates of impunity there is little trust in the capacity of the public security authorities to protect citizens. However, in recent months there has been increased attention on the role that public authorities — in particular an arm of the military, allegedly trained by US forces — may have played in the recent murders of environmental campaigners in the country.

On July 6th, Honduran authorities confirmed the death of Lesbia Janeth Urquía, an environmental activist and member of the Civic Council of Popular and Indigenous Organizations of Honduras (Consejo Cívico del Organizaciones Populares e Indígenas de Honduras, COPINH). According to reports, Urquía disappeared the morning of Tuesday, July 5 and was kidnapped while on her way to exercise in her home town. Her body was found the following day near a garbage dump in the Marcala municipality in the department of La Paz, 100 miles from the capital Tegucigalpa. She had suffered a severe head trauma and her body revealed signs of possible torture. In a statement made July 7th, Honduras’ Public Ministry announced it had formed a special commission to investigate the crime.

This move was greeted with relative scepticism by fellow campaigners. Honduras has been described as the deadliest place in the world for environmental activists defending the social, cultural and economic rights of the land. According to a Global Witness report, between 2010-2015 there were 115 reported murders of environmental campaigners who made a stand against destructive damn, mining, logging and agro-industrial projects. Yet, there has been little investigation by the authorities or prosecutions into those behind these murders. In June the British newspaper the Guardian published a controversial article looking at the role the military has played in persecuting environmental campaigners, claiming (though noted with only anonymous source) that there is a “hitlist” against a number of activists and they are being directly targeted (full article here). Whether the anonymous source is credible, it cannot be denied that this is the third murder of a high-level campaigner in recent months. Human rights supporters both inside and outside of Honduras, as well as international institutions such as the UN and the OAS, have called on the Honduran government to protect human rights defenders and fully investigate the murders. The spotlight is now firmly on Honduras, with increasing calls for international donors to halt funds to the country until these abuses are fully investigated.

The US in particular is facing high-level questions in Congress over their aid budget to the country. Since 2010 the US has given an estimated $200 million in police and military aid to Honduras, allegedly this aid is conditional on the respect for human rights and civilian security. The US has yet to investigate into the killings, and in 2015 pledged more money to the embattled country as part of the $750 million fund to Central America’s Northern triangle to try and curb the influx of child migrants heading to the US to escape gang violence. However, the movement to investigate is gaining traction in the US. In June Congress Representative Hank Johnson put forward the Berta Cáceres Human Rights Act in Honduras to suspend US security assistance in the country until human rights violations by the security forces cease.

Cáceres

The threat against human rights defenders in Honduras gained global attention in March following the murder of renowned environmental campaigner Berta Cáceres (see our blog post here) in her home in La Esperanza, Intibucá department. The inter-American Commission of Human Rights had formerly called on President Hernández’ government to ensure the protection of Cáceres and other human rights defenders by ensuring precautionary measures, noting their vulnerability. Prosecutions were made following Cáceres’ murder, likely because of increased pressure on the government and international media attention. However, they outline the complexity of the security environment for campaigners; two “sicarios”, a Honduran military official and the Manager of Security at the Honduran state owned hydropower company (DESA).

Background – Investing in Honduras

Violence against environmental campaigners has worsened since the 2009 coup – supported by the US – that ousted left-wing Manuel Zelaya from presidential office. Since then there has been a right-wing, business friendly government that has pushed for investment in the impoverished country. In particular numerous hydraulic projects have been signed off without the requisite checks and balances into the social and environmental impact on local communities. Campaigners like Cáceres were defending the rights of local communities to their land, access to water and the environmental degradation that will affect local communities living on land where hydro projects are taking place. Despite provisions in Honduran law to protect social and environmental rights, and those in international law (Honduras is a signatory to the ILO), human rights defenders claim that the government has signed off on projects without proper assessments and has taken hard-line security measures against those that speak out.

A number of international development funds and private financiers have pulled out of projects in the country following widespread pressure from civil society and international scrutiny around violation of human rights frameworks. All investors looking to finance projects in Honduras, particularly in regions where there are land-rights and social disputes, are strongly advised to carry out detailed due diligence into local partners and conduct a thorough risk assessment into existing tensions with local communities. 

France Attacked Again

On Thursday 14 July, Bastille Day in France, at least 84 people, including several children, were killed and dozens more hurt after a man drove a lorry into crowds who had gathered to celebrate along the famous Promenade Des Anglais in the French seaside city. Some 202 people were injured in the attack, with 52 in critical condition, of whom 25 are on life support.

Attacker Identified

The driver of the lorry has since been identified as Tunisian Mohamed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel, 31. French prosecutors have disclosed that Lahouaiej-Bouhlel had driven the 19-tonne lorry 2 kilometres (1.2 miles) along the Promenade des Anglais and fired at police with a 7.65 mm calibre automatic pistol when the vehicle was close to the Negreco hotel. He continued for another 300 m, where his vehicle was stopped near the Palais de la Mediterranee hotel, where he was shot dead by police.   Weapons found inside the lorry were replicas or fake and included an ammunition magazine, a fake pistol, replica Kalashnikov and M16 rifles, and a dummy grenade. There was also a bicycle, empty pallets, documents and a mobile phone. The attack occurred at about 22:45 local time (20:45 GMT).

According to French Prosecutor Francois Molins, a search of Lahouaiej-Bouhlel’s Nice home has been carried out and a number of items have been seized. Lahouaiej-Bouhlel, a chauffer and delivery man, had three children but had separated from his wife, who was taken into police custody on Friday. The prosecutor added that while he was known to the police as a petty criminal, he was “totally unknown to intelligence services…and was never flagged for signs of radicalization.”

While Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve stated that he could not confirm links to jihadism, Prime Minister Manuel Valls later told France 2 television that Lahouaiej-Bouhlel was a “terrorist without doubt linked to radical Islamism in one way or another.”

Tunisian security sources have disclosed that Lahouaiej-Bouhlel came from the Tunisian town of Msaken, adding that he visited the North African country frequently, the last time being eight months ago. Justice Minister Jean-Jacques Urvoas has disclosed that the suspect had been given a suspended sentence earlier this year following a confrontation with another driver, adding that this was his only conviction.

Since Friday, five people believed to be linked to Lahouaiej-Bouhlel have been taken into police custody. According to the Paris prosecutor’s office, three arrests were made on Saturday and two on Friday, including Lahouaiej-Bouhlel’s estranged wife.

IS Claims Responsibility

On 16 July, the so-called Islamic State (IS) group claimed reasonability for the attack in Nice. The jihadist-linked Amaq news agency quoted an IS security source as stating that one of its “soldiers” carried out the atrocity “in response to calls to target nations of coalition states that are fighting (IS).”

President Francois Hollande, who arrived in Nice on Friday, stated that Thursday’s attack was of “an undeniable terrorist nature,” warning that the battle against terrorism would be long, as France faced an enemy “that will continue to attack those people and those countries that count liberty as an essential value.” President Hollande further disclosed that the attack was carried out “to satisfy the cruelty of an individual or possibly a group” and that many of the victims were foreigners and young children, adding “we will overcome the suffering because we are a united France.

A state of emergency, which has been in place since the November 2015 Paris attacks, has been extended by three months. It was due to end at the end of this month. This means that police and soldiers will continue to be on the streets, guarding key buildings. It also means that scanners and metal arches will be placed at some shops and regular bag searches will be carried out. Gendarme reserves have been called up in support. There are already tighter checks at France’s borders.

France however is under scrutiny that a terrorist attack has occurred while the country was under an emergency state. Security services have denied that they relaxed after the Euro 2016 football tournament, which concluded on 10 July, and there has been praise for the relentless job that they have done in recent months and for the speed of their reaction during the attack in Nice. While intelligence gathering has improved, predicting and preventing every attack is impossible, with some questioning whether even a state of emergency is an effective level of response. In the wake of the attack in Nice, French authorities have warned that they are going to have to live with terrorism.

Venezuelans Cross into Colombia Due to Food Shortages

Tens of thousands of Venezuelans have crossed to neighbouring Colombia to buy basic goods amid shortages during a brief opening of the border. Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro authorized a 12 hour opening of the bridge that connects Tachira, Venezuela, and Cucuta, Colombia. According to the director of the Colombian border authority, an estimated 35.000 Venezuelans arrived in Cucuta. The border was closed in August 2015 as a part of a crime crackdown. President Nicolas Maduro ordered the border closure because the region had been infiltrated by Colombian paramilitaries and gangs.

Venezuelans who want to cross into Colombia in states where the border has been closed need a special permit to do so. But as the scarcity of food gets worse in Venezuela, many have crossed the porous border illegally. On July 6, about 500 Venezuelan women in search of food and medicine broke through border controls separating the western state of Tachira from Cucuta. After buying food and other goods which are scarce in Venezuela, they again gathered at the the border post asking the Colombian guards to let them pass. Goods such as rice, sugar, flour, and oil are hard to come by in Venezuela due to a deep economic crisis.

The ministers of defense from Colombia and Venezuela met earlier this months to discuss potentially reopening border gates on the 2.000 kilometres separating the two countries. Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos and his Foreign Minister Maria Angela Holguin also visited Cucuta last week to push for a reopening.

Demonstrators demanding food have clashed with rioting police in several Venezuelan cities in recent weeks amid demonstrations and looting that have turned deadly. Last month, Venezuelan security forces fired teargas at protesters chanting “We want food!” near the presidential palace in Caracas. National Guard and police officers blocked a road near the Miraflores palace in downtown Caracas, after scores of angry Venezuelans began trying to approach the building.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his cabinet blame the recession on an “economic war” they say is being waged against them by businessmen in league with the opposition. The Venezuelan opposition, however, says the real cause of the crisis is the state-led system defended by late leftist leader Hugo Chavez. After winning control of the legislature in January, the opposition launched its efforts to remove the president, including a bid for a recall referendum.