C4 Risk Management Group Ltd

TERRORISM
AWARENESS
Unit Standard 20595
TERRORISM AWARENESS

Introduction
This study guide is designed to prepare you for assessment
against NZQA Unit Standard 20595 Demonstrate Knowledge
of the threat of terrorism.

This Unit Standard is a compulsory requirement of the

National Certificate in Security Levels 2, 3 and 4.

It is knowledge based module and can be achieved by

completing this distance learning module.

Trainer/Assessor

Your trainer and assessor will issue you this module and give
a time frame for it to be completed by.
If you have any questions at any time you can contact your
assessor at any time. Once you have completed this module
your assessor will discuss it with you to ensure your
knowledge is sufficient to pass assessment.

Recommended Study Technique

Browse or read through this workbook to get the general

idea of what it is about.

1. Study each section and complete the self assessments

at the end of each section.

2. Complete the assessment form at the end of this

module and hand the entire workbook to your assessor
for marking.

3. The completed workbook will be returned to you for

your records.
TERRORISM

Throughout human history, there have been many threats to

the security of nations. These threats have brought about
large-scale losses of life, the destruction of property,
widespread illness and injury, the displacement of large
numbers of people, and devastating economic loss.

Terrorism is the use of force or violence against persons or

property in violation of criminal laws for purposes of
intimidation, coercion, or ransom.

Terrorists often use threats to:

• Create fear among the public.

• Try to convince citizens that their government is
powerless to prevent terrorism.
• Get immediate publicity for their causes.

Acts of terrorism include threats of terrorism; assassinations;

kidnappings; hijackings; bomb scares and bombings; cyber
attacks (computer-based); and the use of chemical,
biological, nuclear and radiological weapons.

High-risk targets for acts of terrorism include military and

civilian government facilities, international airports, large
cities, and high-profile landmarks. Terrorists might also
target large public gatherings, water and food supplies,
utilities, and corporate centers. Further, terrorists are
capable of spreading fear by sending explosives or chemical
and biological agents through the mail.

Explosions

Terrorists have frequently used explosive devices as one of

their most common weapons. Terrorists do not have to look
far to find out how to make explosive devices; the
information is readily available in books and other
information sources. The materials needed for an explosive
device can be found in many places including variety,
hardware, and auto supply stores. Explosive devices are
highly portable using vehicles and humans as a means of
transport. They are easily detonated from remote locations
or by suicide bombers.

Conventional bombs have been used to damage and destroy

financial, political, social, and religious institutions. Attacks
have occurred in public places and on city streets with
thousands of people around the world injured and killed.

Chemical Threats

Chemical agents are poisonous vapors, aerosols, liquids, and

solids that have toxic effects on people, animals, or plants.
They can be released by bombs or sprayed from aircraft,
boats, and vehicles. They can be used as a liquid to create a
hazard to people and the environment. Some chemical
agents may be odorless and tasteless. They can have an
immediate effect (a few seconds to a few minutes) or a
delayed effect (2 to 48 hours). While potentially lethal,
chemical agents are difficult to deliver in lethal
concentrations. Outdoors, the agents often dissipate rapidly.
Chemical agents also are difficult to produce.

A chemical attack could come without warning. Signs of a

chemical release include people having difficulty breathing;
experiencing eye irritation; losing coordination; becoming
nauseated; or having a burning sensation in the nose, throat,
and lungs. Also, the presence of many dead insects or birds
may indicate a chemical agent release.

Biological Threats

Biological agents are organisms or toxins that can kill or

incapacitate people, livestock, and crops. The three basic
groups of biological agents that would likely be used as
weapons are bacteria, viruses, and toxins. Most biological
agents are difficult to grow and maintain. Many break down
quickly when exposed to sunlight and other environmental
factors, while others, such as anthrax spores, are very long
lived. Biological agents can be dispersed by spraying them
into the air, by infecting animals that carry the disease to
humans, and by contaminating food and water. Delivery
methods include:

• Aerosols - biological agents are dispersed into the air,

forming a fine mist that may drift for miles. Inhaling the
agent may cause disease in people or animals.

• Animals - some diseases are spread by insects and

animals, such as fleas, mice, flies, mosquitoes, and
livestock.

• Food and water contamination - some pathogenic

organisms and toxins may persist in food and water
supplies. Most microbes can be killed, and toxins
deactivated, by cooking food and boiling water. Most
microbes are killed by boiling water for one minute, but
some require longer. Follow official instructions.

• Person-to-person - spread of a few infectious agents is

also possible. Humans have been the source of
infection for smallpox, plague, and the Lassa viruses.
Essential Elements of Terrorism

The essential elements of terrorism are planning, instigation,

threat, the use or attempted use of unlawful violence or
other extreme methods to achieve their purpose.

Planning

Planning is the preparation carried out by terrorists prior to

carrying out the attack. It can include the financing,
recruitment, identification of targets, selection of the
optimum timing and location of the attack, selection of
method of attack, preparation of the bomb, rehearsals,
training, observations, identification of security officers &
equipment. Example: 9/11 terrorists took flying lessons in
order to fly the aircraft into the buildings.

Instigation

To instigate is to start, cause to be put into action. It is also

to incite or persuade others to take action. In the case of
terrorists this can be developed by pushing religious or
political ideology, the promise of wealth for themselves or
family or the promise of heavenly delights(Islamic); the
fulfillment of biblical demands and prophesies (Islamic);
desire for retribution and revenge (Black Widows of
Chechnya). The reality is that many terrorists, in particular
suicide bombers have been brain washed or emotionally
destroyed by rape, beatings etc. as is the case with many of
the Black Widows for example.

Threat
Threat is the declared intention to cause harm and in the
case of terrorism to cause massive damage and a high
number of deaths. For example Al Qaeda, Hamas and other
terrorist organisations have threatened to kill every Jew in
Israel. Threats can be real or perceived. Either way threats
create fear which is also a tool in the terrorist arsenal,
creates chaos, and loss either directly or indirectly.

Use or attempted use of violence or other extreme

methods

Terrorists use violence as a tool. Often this is extreme such

as the beheading of hostages in Iraq. Other types are car
bombings, suicide bombings, rape (African countries),
murder, kidnappings (Iraq), intimidation disfigurement and
hijackings.

Origins of terrorism

The following definition of terrorism from Wikipedia gives an

indication of the origin of the term terrorism and

"Terror" comes from a Latin terrere meaning "to frighten".

The terror cimbricus was a panic and state of emergency in
Rome in response to the approach of warriors of the Cimbri
tribe in 105 BC. The Jacobins cited this precedent when
imposing a Reign of Terror during the French
Revolution.After the Jacobins lost power, the word "terrorist"
became a term of abuse. Although the Reign of Terror was
imposed by a government, in modern times "terrorism"
usually refers to the killing of innocent people by a private
group in such a way as to create a media spectacle. This
meaning can be traced back to Sergey Nechayev, who
described himself as a "terrorist". Nechayev founded the
Russian terrorist group "People's Retribution” in 1869.

Other examples of historical terrorism could be (depending

on your outlook) the Zealots, Hashshashin, Guy Fawkes, IRA,
Sons of Liberty, Ku Klux Klan or any other historical group
(including governments) or individuals that are commonly
recognised as historical terrorist groups or well known
attacks (example Guy Fawkes night, Boston Tea Party)
Characteristics of Terrorism

Origin

Where, why and how the issues came about that created the
terrorist issue

Context

The environment or setting in which the attack occurred. It

includes the history, religion, cultural beliefs, political
affiliations and allegiances of those involved

Objectives

What it is that the terrorist group wants to achieve.

Methods

The types of attacks or means of delivering harm, or

damage.

Effectiveness

The level of success of the terrorist attack.

Appeal

The recognition, respect, support and the way the terrorists

are viewed by their peers, family and countrymen.

Consequences

The varied outcomes of the terrorist attack.

Relevance

What it means to those working in the security industry

includes lessons learnt from previous attacks.
Terrorist Groups

There are many terrorist groups around the world. Here are
a few that are either well known or currently in the news.

Al Qaida:

Inspired and led by Osama Bin Laden, its aims are the
expulsion of Western forces from Saudi Arabia, the
destruction of Israel and the end of Western influence in the
Muslim world.

Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG):

The precise aims of the ASG are unclear, but its objectives
appear to include the establishment of an autonomous
Islamic state in the Southern Philippine island of Mindanao.

Basque Homeland and Liberty (Euskadi ta

Askatasuna) (ETA):

ETA seeks the creation of an independent state comprising

the Basque regions of both Spain and France.

Hamas Izz al-Din al-Qassem Brigades:

Hamas aims to end Israeli occupation in Palestine and

establish an Islamic state.

Hizballah Military Wing:

Hizballah is committed to armed resistance to the state of

Israel, and aims to seize all Palestinian territories and
Jerusalem from Israel. Its military wing supports terrorism in
Iraq and the Palestinian territories.
Jeemah Islamiyah (JI):

JI's aim is the creation of a unified Islamic state in Singapore,

Malaysia, Indonesia and the Southern Philippines.

New Zealand Assets at Risk to a Terrorist Attack

• Ports
• Power Stations
• Airports
• Sports Stadiums

Examples of risks faced to New Zealand Infrastructure

are

• Bombing of essential areas, bomb threats, hoax bombs,

sinking of ships, spillage of large amounts of fuel to
create an environmental hazard
• Killing of large numbers of people, hostage situations,
suicide bombers destroying the navigation systems that
monitor aircraft in the air, chemical agents dispersed in
the public area, crashing a plane into the airport.
• Destroying power station – no power to the cities etc,
car bomb

Measures that can be taken to increase security and

reduce risks include;

• Security industry working with law enforcement

agencies such as the Police, Customs, Immigration.
Using security companies is also more cost effective
overall.
• Intelligence gathering prior to the event. Knowledge is
an important aspect of being able to provide
comprehensive security.
• Greater utilisation of electronic equipment such as x-
ray, metal detectors, chemical residue detectors as well
as utilising animals such as dogs
• Vehicle restriction zones around high risk locations.
Many terrorist organisations use a car or truck bomb.
 Restricting access has proven practical and successful
overseas.
• Competently trained, equipped and lead security
teams. A very practicable measure if companies or
government agencies are committed to a high level
security capability.
• Incident management training for all security staff.
International events have shown that a combined
approach to incident management provides the best
response.
New Zealand Statutes

The following sections of New Zealand Law are relevant to

the threat of terrorism.

Crimes Act 1961

Murder, assault, kidnapping, arson.

Aviation Crimes Act 1972

Hijacking (section 3) is an offence punishable by life

imprisonment for seizing control of an aircraft.

Crimes in connection with hijacking (Section 4) include

helping someone hijack an aircraft.

Other crimes relating to aircraft (section 5) makes it an

offence punishable by up to 14 years prison for endangering
safety of an aircraft, committing an act of violence or
destroying or damaging an aircraft.

Taking firearms, explosives, etc, on to aircraft or into sterile

area or security enhanced area (section 11)

Powers of aircraft commander (section 15) gives the pilot of

an aircraft the right o do whatever they think is necessary to
maintain safety aboard an aircraft. This may include the use
or restraint devices such as handcuffs.

Bio-security Act 1993

Powers to detain (section 107), Powers to search (section

108), Power of inspection (section 109), Declaration of
controlled area, (section 131) Road Blocks, cordon,
checkpoints, etc (section 132), Declaration of biosecurity
emergency (section 144), Emergency powers (Section 145)

New Zealand Security Intelligence Service Act 1969

Functions of NZ Security Intelligence Service (section 4),
Issue of interception warrant (section 4A)

Terrorism Suppression Act 2002

Terrorist Act defined (section 5) The New Zealand definition

includes…advancing ideological, political religious causes, to
induce terror in a civilian population or unduly compel or
force a government or organisation to do or abstain from
doing something and refer to outcomes such as death,
serious harm, risk to health, destruction of property,
interference to infrastructure and devastation of economy.

Financing of terrorism

Targeting Terrorist Funds

Terrorism could not exist without money to fund recruitment,

training and propaganda, as well as terrorist attacks.

Terrorism is often financed by the proceeds of crime. The

effort to disrupt the flow of money to terrorists, both at home
and internationally, is an important element of our counter-
terrorism planning and operations.

Facts & figures (British Home Office)

What's been done to cut off terrorist’s finances?

• 100 organisations and over 200 individuals in the UK

have had their assets frozen, totaling over US$100
million in the last 5 years
• 160 countries, including the UK, have frozen terrorist
assets worth US$112 million, under United Nations
Security Council resolutions
• Most of the money seized in the UK has been given to
the Government of Afghanistan to fund its
regeneration. Around US$500,000 of terrorist assets
remain frozen in the UK
• a dedicated national Terrorist Finance Investigation Unit
has been set up, and is a key tool in investigating
The International Scene

Making the UK a hostile environment for terrorists

The Police and security services work closely with financial

industries, banks and the private sector to ensure that it is
as difficult as possible for terrorists to use the financial
infrastructure to their advantage.

They work jointly to track, freeze and disrupt terrorist

finances, and use intelligence gained from these
investigations to gain more understanding of terrorist
operations and methods.

Recovering the proceeds of crime

Police and customs officers have powers to seize the money

that criminals (Terrorists) make from, and intend to use in,
crime.

Current Threat Levels (UK) What are threat levels?

(British Home Office)

A system has been created to keep the public informed

about the level of threat from terrorism.

The system also helps the police and other law enforcement
agencies determine how they should respond to, and
prepare for a terrorist incident.

The threat levels are:

• critical - an attack is expected imminently

• severe - an attack is highly likely
• substantial - an attack is a strong possibility
• moderate - an attack is possible but not likely
• low - an attack is unlikely
 Terrorist Attacks: The Rainbow Warrior

Rainbow The only terrorist attack in New Zealand

Warrior occurred on the evening of the 10th July 1985
at Marsden wharf in the port of Auckland.

The flagship of the environmental activist

group Greenpeace was preparing to escort a
flotilla of yachts to Moruroa atoll in the Pacific
in order to protest against French nuclear
testing.
People
involved Fernando Pereira – returned to the ship after
the first explosion to retrieve his camera
equipment. He died when the second
explosive devise went off.

Dominique Prieur & Alain Marfart – two of the

French Government Intelligence agents
captured and prosecuted for the attack.
Method of
Attack French agents infiltrated New Zealand, some
adopting the roles of ‘tourists’ to gain
information and locate the Rainbow Warrior
vessel. Divers fixed two limpet mines to the
hull of the vessel. The first smaller explosion
was designed to make the crew evacuate the
vessel. The second device was designed to
Impact of sink the boat.
the incident
Fernando Pereira drowned after the second
explosion which also threw other members of
the crew into the water. The Police responded
to an explosion but it was a while before they
realized that a terrorist attack had in fact
occurred.

Two of the attackers were arrested while still

 in New Zealand and were eventually
convicted and sentenced to 10 years
imprisonment each. Other members of the
Lessons to group were tracked and located in the pacific,
be learned however international law at the time did not
allow for them to be arrested. They left in a
sail boat and are believed to have been
picked up by a French submarine.

While this is probably the only terrorist attack

to occur in New Zealand it is certainly worth
remembering that we are vulnerable to an
attack.

It is also a lesson to all countries that foreign

governments are open to the possibility of
entering another country to carry out attacks.
In this case it was a friendly ‘western’ power.
 Terrorist Attacks: Bali Bombing 2002

Bali Bombing On the 12th October 2002 the deadliest

2002 terrorist attack in Indonesia occurred at
Paddy’s Pub, a night club in Kuta. A total of
202 people were killed. This included 168
foreign nationals and 38 Indonesians.
People
involved The Islamist terrorist Jemaah Islamiyah (JI)
claimed responsibility for the killings.

Abu Bakar Bashir, the religious leader of the

organisation was convicted and sentenced to
a short stay in prison.

Three members of the terrorist group were

executed by firing squad in November 2008.
Method of
Attack After careful planning, a suicide bomber
entered the nightclub carrying a backpack
which held a small improvised explosive
device. The ignition of this device caused
many patrons to evacuate the building,
flooding the street with patrons, some injured.

A secondary device secreted in a van was

Impact of detonated by a second suicidal member of the
the incident group.

This explosions killed many people and

destroyed a number of houses and nearby
buildings. The bomb created a crater about
one meter deep.

Lessons to Local hospitals were not able to deal with the

be learned number of injured people. Some were flown to
hospitals in Australia for medical treatment.

Longer term impacts were the fear created for

people traveling through out Asia as well as
the long term economic loss suffered locals
after the bombing.

Travel warnings now state that travelers

should avoid going to the local ‘expat’ bars
which are found in most Asian cities. They are
obvious targets for terrorist groups opposed
to westerners being in their countries.

The technique of a ‘secondary’ device is a

practiced technique utilized by many terrorist
and criminals. The initial device serves to
move everyone to a pre selected location
where the larger device is located.
 Terrorist Attacks: September 11

September On September 11 2001 19 Al Qaeda terrorists

11 Attacks conducted a major operation in the USA
where they hijacked 4 domestic aircraft

Two of the aircraft were flown on a suicide

mission into the ‘twin towers’ of the World
Trade Centre in New York. A second plane was
flown into the Pentagon with the fourth plane
crashing into fields and failing to reach its
destination.
People
involved 2974 civilians were killed in the attacks. All 19
terrorists died.

Al Qaeda Islamist terrorists, most of them

from Saudi Arabia conducted the attacks.
Mohammad Atta, an Egyptian was the leader
of the group. Osama bin Laden admitted to
planning the attack.

All others involved were civilians traveling on

domestic aircraft or carrying out their daily
work routine in their place of work.
Method of
Attack The terrorists conducted extensive
preparation for the attack, observing cabin
crew activities and learning how to fly an
aircraft at local flying schools.
 The terrorists boarded the flights as fee
paying passengers but while in flight they
used sharp box cutter knives to kill cabin crew
and take over the flights.

The aircraft were then flown into pre-selected

Impact of targets with the fourth flight crashing before
the incident reaching its destination.

The immediate impact was the death of a

large number of people, the destruction of a
number of large buildings and the evacuation
Lessons to of a large part of the city. Longer term impact
be learned has been the continuing ‘war on terrorism’
which has included Iraq and Afghanistan
invasions.

Some of the lessons learned from this was

that terrorists can and will plan many years in
advance of the actual attack.

US intelligence agencies also realised that

they had not communicated very well
between agencies. If they had of they may
well have averted the attacks.
 Terrorist Attacks: London Bombing
7/72005

London On the 7 July 2005 In London England three

Bombing 7 suicide bombers attacked occupants in 3
July 2005 underground passenger trains. The attacks
occurred in rush hour at approx. 0850. A
further single suicide bombing occurred at
0947 on a local bus.

The attacks were carried out by Islamist

terrorists in protest against Britain’s
People involvement in the Iraq war.
involved
The four suicide bombers were relatively
unknown to the police. They were residents in
England, two of them being married with
pregnant wives.

Apart from the terrorists all the deceased

were civilians using the London transport
system to get to work.

Method of Al Qaeda and other Islamist terrorist group

Attack claimed responsibility for the attacks.

Home made improvised explosive devices

were carried in backpacks by the four suicide
bombers as they entered the transport
system and placed themselves n separate
trains/bus.

Within 50 seconds of each other the three

train bombs were set off causing most of the
deaths and damage. One hour later the final
bus bomb was set off killing passengers on
the bus and injuring many more. More than
Impact of 700 people were injured.
the incident
52 people died in the attacks with many more
injured as result of the explosions.

Security levels were raised in a number of

other European countries and USA as well as
Lessons to Britain.
be learned
The London transportation system was
severely disrupted. Mobile
telecommunications infrastructure was also
disrupted.

Terrorists are known to target infrastructure

such as transport, airlines and power stations.
Terrorists can come from within your own
country and suspected terrorist groups must
be monitored.