AttendeesPNC Paul Bernstein NY, Homeland Security Chairman; Ray Biondo AR; Jerry Blum CA; Jesse Gersten AZ; Mike Jacobs CA; Mike London TX; PNC Monte Mayer NY; PNC Lawrence Schulman NY; Tom Shaw MN; Allan Udell FL
Staff: NED Herb Rosenbleeth; Larry Richardson; Mrs. Bailor; Greg Byrne
Subject: Homeland Security
- TSA will now be in charge of screening airline passengers against the government's terrorist watch list.
- Cyber terrorism is a major concern for the federal government. Government websites and networks are under attack daily by hackers and foreign entities.
- PNC Paul Bernstein recently attended a summit meeting on homeland security for Jewish organizations, where he was briefed by FBI and Homeland Security officials.
- The FBI and Homeland Security have just raised the threat level to Heightened Alert. The level was raised as a result of the election and the upcoming inauguration. There is good reason to think that there will be an attack in the coming months to see how President-elect Obama will react. This happened to Presidents Clinton and Bush.
- There is also a strong indication that they may try to hit Wall Street or other financial targets to further damage the US and global economies.
- An attack could come from Al Qaeda central or a lone wolf cell. A lone wolf cell does not have the sophistication of Al Qaeda, but they are smaller and very difficult to detect.
- If Israel attacks Iran, Jewish organizations will need to increase security.
- Preventing terrorist attacks requires a combined effort by law enforcement, the private sector, and the general public. Citizens must be aware of suspicious activities in their communities.
