Rash of arson fires continues, spreads across wider area

The attacks range from the Westside to Hollywood and from the San Fernando Valley south to Lennox. The Los Angeles police and fire departments lead a multi-agency campaign across the county.

A rash of arson fires in the dark of night set Los Angeles on edge over New Year's Eve, and authorities deployed hundreds of extra firefighters, patrol cars, undercover officers and helicopters to stop the attacks.

On Saturday night, firefighters rushed to multiple fires, quickly extinguishing a vehicle fire in a Hollywood carport and responding to another in the massive parking structure at Hollywood Boulevard and Highland Avenue. Those blazes followed at least 38 other suspicious fires between Thursday night and Saturday morning, making it the worst wave of arson since the 1992 riots.

"Whoever is doing this is really messing with people's lives," said Los Angeles Fire Capt. Jamie Moore.

Most of the blazes were started on automobiles, but some spread to homes and apartments. The attacks ranged from the Westside to Hollywood and from the San Fernando Valley south to Lennox. By Saturday night, the Los Angeles police and fire departments were leading a multi-agency campaign across the county.

"We're pulling out all the stops," Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman Brian Humphrey said. "We're hoping that the person or people responsible will be brought to swift and complete justice."

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-arson-fires-20120101,0,6945812,print.story

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Man arrested with explosives at Texas airport

Officials closed down the checkpoint for an hour while security officers removed the item, the TSA said. Tasa Watts, a spokeswoman for the city of Midland, said in an email to the Los Angeles Times that security officials discovered explosives in the luggage.

FBI spokesman Mike Martinez said in an interview that agents took a man into custody at the airport, but would not confirm that the man was carrying explosives. The agency is continuing to investigate the incident. The TSA would also not confirm that the man was carrying explosives.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/nationnow/

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In L.A. County: Innocent but in jail

A Times investigation has revealed that more than 1,400 people over the last five years were wrongfully incarcerated.

Last week provided yet another reminder of just how serious the problems are in the Los Angeles County jails. As if reports of assaults on prisoners by sheriff's deputies were not disturbing enough, a Times investigation has revealed that more than 1,400 people over the last five years were wrongfully incarcerated. Some were held for days, others for weeks. All were cases of mistaken identity, in many instances made worse because protests of innocence were disregarded. In one case, a construction worker with no prior arrests said he was assaulted by inmates and ignored by deputies. In another, a man whose identity was stolen by his brother pleaded with deputies to check his wallet, where he kept a judge's order indicating that a warrant with his name on it had been wrongly issued. But his jailers refused. He was booked and his fingerprints scanned. Deputies found no matching prints, even though the warrant indicated that prints were on record, according to his lawyer. Yet he was held for days.

Those are cruel deprivations inflicted on innocent people, and they should spur Sheriff Lee Baca and his department to adopt safeguards for ensuring that they have the right people behind bars.

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/opinionla/la-ed-jails-20120101,0,6583661,print.story

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Norman Lear on fighting the good fight

The Occupy Wall Street movement has unleashed patriotic outrage. If you don't want to camp out or protest in the street, find another way to let your voice be heard in the new year.

I was recently shown a picture from one of the Occupy protests taking place across the country. It featured a young woman surrounded by police. She was the only protester in the picture, but she didn't seem intimidated. All by herself, up against the police barricade, she held a handwritten sign saying simply "I am a born again American."

I've never met this woman, but I think I know exactly what she's feeling.

I had my first "born again American" moment 30 years ago, when I was moved to outrage and action by a group of hate-preaching televangelists who were trying to claim sole ownership of patriotism, faith and flag for the far right. One of them asked his viewing congregation to pray for the removal of a Supreme Court justice.

I did what I knew how to do and produced a 60-second TV spot. It featured a factory worker whose family members, all Christians, held an array of political beliefs. He didn't believe that anyone, not even a minister, had a right to judge whether people were good or bad Christians based on their political views. "That's not the American way," he wound up saying. I ran it on local TV, and it was picked up by the networks. People For the American Way grew out of the overwhelming response to that ad.

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-lear-occupy-the-new-year-20111230,0,5563513,print.story

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Ohio

New horizons within reach for police force

TEACH THE PEOPLE

Confucius said, “If you think in terms of a year, plant a seed; if in terms of 10 years, plant trees; if in terms of 100 years, teach the people.”

When I read this, I think of where the Cincinnati Police Department is today and where I want to see it go and prosper in the future. My goals for the New Year and beyond are to continue providing strong leadership for the men and women of the CPD; provide an improved quality of life for all citizens of Cincinnati; expand partnerships with community leaders, local universities, clergy, neighborhood residents and corporations; as well as continued transparency from the CPD, thus inspiring the public's trust. We will work toward more effective and efficient management of department assets by developing a new work schedule for officers and applying the Computer Statistics (CompStat) model using technology and analysis to fight and prevent crime. We will further endeavor to incorporate cost-saving strategies we learn through a top-to-bottom evaluation of the department, while maintaining best practices.

http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20120101/EDIT02/301010030/New-horizons-within-reach-police-force?odyssey=mod%7Cnewswell%7Ctext%7CFRONTPAGE%7Cs

Tragedy and tourism: 9/11 memorial draws millionth visitor

According to a post on the memorial's website, visitors came from all 50 U.S. states and from 120 countries to view the memorial since it opened to the public on Sept. 12.

“For 10 years, people were only able to walk the perimeter of the World Trade Center site, stealing glances at the progress through construction fences,” 9/11 Memorial President Joe Daniels stated. “More than 1 million people have returned to this sacred ground to pay their respects, and are able to witness the rebuilding of the World Trade Center all around them. It humbles us to see that the public's will to commemorate the victims of 9/11 is as strong as ever.”

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/nationnow/

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Visitor to 9/11 memorial told police of loaded gun, was arrested

A Tennessee tourist who says she unwittingly broke New York's weapons laws by visiting the 9/11 memorial with a loaded gun -- legal in her home state -- faces 3 1/2 years behind bars for the error, which came to light when she asked guards where she could store her weapon while touring the memorial.

The Dec. 22 incident underscores the disparity in gun-carrying laws among states; some, like New York, ban the carrying of loaded guns and don't recognize the permits issued in other states for visitors carrying weapons. Opponents of strict gun laws argue that the right to bear arms, as outlined in the 2nd Amendment of the Constitution, should take precedence and that it is unfair for people like the tourist, Meredith Graves, to be caught in the middle of different states' regulations.

Local media reports have described Graves as a 39-year-old medical student who was in the area for a job interview and decided to visit the site of the fallen World Trade Center towers with her husband, and her loaded .32-caliber pistol. When she saw the signs reading "No guns allowed," Graves asked a security guard where she could check the loaded weapon in her purse, according to the New York Post.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/nationnow/

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Two doctors charged with murder under Md. fetal homicide law

Two doctors who Maryland authorities say botched an abortion last year in Elkton have been indicted on murder charges — in what appears to be the first use of the state's fetal homicide law involving a medical professional performing surgery.

“We're in uncharted territory,” Cecil County State's Attorney Edward D.E. Rollins said Friday. He declined to comment further because the indictment will remain sealed until the suspects are arraigned in Maryland. They were arrested Wednesday in New Jersey and in Utah.

Steven Chase Brigham, 55, of Voorhees, N.J., faces five counts of first-degree murder, five counts of second-degree murder and one count of conspiracy to commit murder. Nicola Irene Riley, 46, of Salt Lake City faces one count each of first- and second-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder.

Authorities would not describe the indictment in detail. A statement from Elkton police says some of the charges relate to the abortion that went awry 16 months ago. Detectives investigating that case — in which a teenager was rushed to a hospital and survived — said they found almost three dozen late-term aborted fetuses in a freezer at the doctors' Elkton clinic.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/two-doctors-charged-with-murder-under-md-fetal-homicide-law/2011/12/30/gIQAFkIURP_story.html

One out of 10 teen drivers say they have driven while drunk on New Year's Eve, according to a new survey. It's the worst holiday night of the year for driving after drinking, they say. The Fourth of July was in second place.

The Liberty Mutual insurance survey of nearly 2,300 11th and 12th graders also found a large majority, 94%, of teen drivers say that they would stop driving under the influence of alcohol or marijuana if asked by a passenger. Some 87% of teen passengers say they would ask a peer to stop driving after drinking. That's more than marijuana, which was 72%.

"New Year's Eve is a time to celebrate both the past year and the possibilities of the year to come, yet far too often poor decisions by teens result in tragic injuries and deaths," said Stephen Wallace, senior advisor for at Students Against Drunk Drivers, or SADD. "To avoid a fatal start to the New Year, teen passengers need to use their voices if they have concerns about their friends' behaviors. They will be heard."

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/driveon/post/2011/12/one-of-10-teens-admit-to-drunk-driving-on-new-years-eve/1

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Feds: Phoning, texting killed 3,092 in car crashes last year

The government says that 3,092 people died last year in "distraction-affected" crashes, a newly refined measurement meant to tally the effect of texting, phoning or simply answering a call while driving.

That was one of every 11 U.S. traffic deaths.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says it refined and narrowed how it counts distraction crashes, so the 2010 tally can't be directly compared to 2009's 5,474 "distraction-related" traffic fatalities.

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/driveon/post/2011/12/nhtsa-cell-phones-killed-3092-car-crashes-/1?csp=obinsite

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A year without murders unlikely to last

It is, of course, reason to celebrate that Flagstaff is on track to finish 2011 without a single murder inside the city.

Flagstaff is hardly Mayberry, RFD, but violent crimes of all types have plummeted in recent years, thanks to more community policing and better use of neighborhood-level police reports.

We'd like to think that the absence of a murder so far this year is due, in part, to those initiatives by the police and community leaders.

But we are also realistic enough to know that lethal violence in a state with lax gun laws is hard to keep at a zero level for long. As every study shows, more guns mean more gun violence, everything else being equal. But with every state, city or region being different, establishing direct causation between restrictive gun laws and lower crime is like hitting a moving target. Other socioeconomic factors, like poverty and education, also play key roles in gun violence rates.

http://azdailysun.com/news/opinion/editorial/a-year-without-murders-unlikely-to-last/article_4050ae49-a5ea-5992-993c-b7b615fe9ffd.html

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Dec 30, 2011

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Annual total of death sentences in California falls to 10

The prior two years had each seen capital punishment ordered for 29 criminals. Analysts say a broken appeals process is driving the trend, and some observers cite tight budgets prosecutors face.

The number of death sentences issued in California dropped this year to 10, one of the lowest levels since the state reinstated capital punishment in 1978.

The decline, from 29 in each of the last two years, may signal that the decades-long appeals process for capital convictions and a 6-year-old moratorium on executions have encouraged prosecutors to seek life sentences without the possibility of parole in more murder cases.

California's less frequent resort to the death penalty puts it roughly in line with a national trend that has seen such sentences decline by 75% in the last 15 years.

Legal analysts on both sides of the debate say a broken appeals process is driving the trend. Prosecutors faced with tight budgets have had to make tough choices about the time and money needed to pursue a death sentence, while some family members of murder victims have pressed them to pursue the swifter justice of lifelong imprisonment with no chance of getting out.

W. Scott Thorpe, head of the California District Attorneys Assn., said he couldn't be sure what drove the state's 66% drop in death sentences this past year. He noted that there has been a statewide decline in homicides and that local economic and public safety circumstances influence the 58 independently elected county district attorneys.

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-death-sentences-drop-20111230,0,2333034,print.story

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Immigration rights: U.S. launches new hotline for detainees

The toll-free number, (855) 448-6903, will field queries from detainees held by state or local law enforcement agencies if the detainees "believe they may be U.S. citizens or victims of a crime," the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency said in a statement.

An ICE official in Washington said agency representatives had not been authorized to comment about the hotline but that more information soon would be posted online.

The hotline will be staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week by ICE personnel, according to the statement, with interpreters available in several languages.

"ICE personnel will collect information from the individual and refer it to the relevant ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations field office for immediate action," the statement said.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/nationnow/

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Lawmaker doesn't want TSA to pocket change left at checkpoints

Ever wonder what happens to the loose change that harried travelers leave behind at airport checkpoints?

One lawmaker has his sights on the unclaimed money, which added up to $376,480.39 in the 2010 fiscal year.

At Los Angeles International Airport alone, $19,110.83 was left at checkpoints, according to a Transportation Security Administration spokesman. That's in addition to $500 in poker chips left behind at LAX a few years ago and later converted by TSA to cash.

Congress allows TSA to use the unclaimed money to help fund its operations.

But legislation has been introduced by Rep. Jeff Miller (R-Fla.) to give the money to the USO for its airport programs in support of the military. The USO, whose mission is to lift the spirits of America's troops and their families, is a nonprofit, congressionally chartered private organization.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/nationnow/

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Sheriff Lee Baca to create task force to address wrongful jailings

The L.A. County sheriff's move comes in response to a Los Angeles Times investigation that found that wrongful incarcerations occurred more than 1,480 times in the last five years.

Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca said Tuesday that he will create a task force to minimize the wrongful jailings of people mistaken for someone else.

Baca's move came in response to a Times investigation that found hundreds of people have been wrongly imprisoned in recent years, with some spending weeks behind bars before authorities realized their true identities.

"It's a horrible reality of what is basically the imperfect nature of the criminal justice system," Baca said in an interview. "No one who is an innocent person should ever be tied in with the criminal justice system....There's a difference between saying 'I plead not guilty.' It's another thing to say to anybody 'I'm not that person.'"

Baca said his task force to minimize the problem will probably be headed up by his detectives chief, a patrol commander and a jail captain.

The wrongful incarcerations occurred more than 1,480 times in the last five years. Many of those mistakenly held inside the county's lockups had the same names as suspects or had their identities stolen.

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-wrong-id-jails-20111228,0,6740040,print.story

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Reported sex crimes up at service schools

Award-winning Manchester bobby shares tips on inner-city policing with Florida cop

A US SWAT team cop has visited an award-winning Manchester bobby to learn more about inner-city policing.

Detective Dave Chavka, 54, from the Key West Policing Department in Florida, picked up tips from officers in GMP's Metropolitan Division, which covers areas including Gorton, Ardwick and Moss Side.

He was given a tour of the division by neighbourhood inspector Damian O'Reilly, who recently undertook a similar fact-finding trip at the New York Police Department after being named Britain's best community officer.

Det Chavka, who visited the divisional hub in Longsight, the GMP firearms training centre in Clayton Brook and community projects in Gorton, was left impressed by the work being carried out in some of Manchester's most deprived areas.

He said: "Community policing is the only thing that works. To bring down crime you have work with the public and the reductions in crime in this area of Manchester are very, very impressive. It's been very interesting to see how Damian has got involved in so many community projects and the effect that has on the neighbourhood.

http://menmedia.co.uk/manchestereveningnews/news/s/1469108_award-winning-manchester-bobby-shares-tips-on-inner-city-policing-with-florida-cop

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French officers look to ICE HSI for guidance on gang enforcement

WASHINGTON — Across the United States, gangs threaten public safety in neighborhoods and communities.

"Transnational gangs are a worldwide problem, not confined to any single country," said Mark Selby, unit chief for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations' (HSI) National Gang Unit.

Outside our country's borders, law enforcement agencies like France's Gendarmerie Nationale are facing similar problems. There, gangs typically affiliated with Algeria, Tunisia and Morocco, are trafficking narcotics and using violence to resolve issues. These gangs are territorial and strive to control criminal activity in areas where they reside.

After hearing Selby make a presentation at a EUROPOL meeting, Captain Benjamin Suzzoni of the Gendarmerie Nationale had to learn more. Suzzoni convinced his colonel, Francis Hubert, to make the trip across the pond to shadow ICE HSI special agents with the ICE HSI National Gang Unit.

http://www.ice.gov/news/releases/1112/111227washingtondc.htm

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Dec 27, 2011

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Editorial

No-holds-barred on jails

The new commission looking at L.A. County's troubled facilities should turn up the heat on Baca.

It took about eight weeks, but the new seven-member commission charged with investigating Los Angeles County's troubled jails is now up and running. Early in the new year, we hope, it will begin in earnest to study just what's gone right and what's gone wrong during Sheriff Lee Baca's tenure as steward of the jails.

Clearly there is a problem. The FBI is investigating multiple allegations of misconduct by sheriff's deputies. The Times has reported on numerous cases of abuse and violence by deputies, including a rookie who resigned after he was allegedly told by his supervisor to beat a mentally ill inmate. And over the last two years, about 30 deputies had to be disciplined for beating inmates or covering up abuse. One jail monitor said she witnessed deputies beating an inmate even after he was obviously unconscious.

The new commission's influence is severely limited. It can't subpoena documents or impose changes on the sheriff. Baca is an elected official — only the voters can fire him. But though it is toothless in some respects, the commission has an important role to play. It can raise public awareness of the problems and pressure the sheriff and the Board of Supervisors to take action. It can provide a road map for change. Perhaps most important, its members — four retired judges, a pastor, a police chief and a jail safety expert — can ask questions long overdue of a department in need of accountability.

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/opinionla/la-ed-sheriff-20111227,0,248547,print.story

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Internet escort ads linked to women found dead in Detroit

One week. Two car trunks. Four women dead.

Detroit police may be on the hunt for a killer who might be targeting escorts after it was discovered that three of the four women found dead this month are linked to sex-related advertisements on Backpage.com, police said Monday.

The website includes dozens of come-hithers from metro Detroit escorts offering exotic fantasies and erotic playtime.

"This tie for us is disconcerting," Detroit Police Chief Ralph Godbee Jr. said Monday. "We're stopping short of calling it a serial pattern."

The women were found dead in pairs: Demesha Hunt, 24, and Renisha Landers, 23, both of Detroit, were discovered about 3 p.m. Dec. 19 in the trunk of a 2009 Chrysler 300C on the 14900 block of Promenade.

Two more women, their names not yet released by police, were found burned beyond recognition about 1 a.m. Sunday in the trunk of a 1997 Buick LeSabre parked in a garage on the 14900 block of Lannette, according to Godbee. They were 28 and 29.

http://www.freep.com/article/20111227/NEWS05/112270362/Internet-escort-ads-linked-to-women-found-dead-in-Detroit

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Holyoke Police Dept. creates new community station

"They're going to be very vested in the community and they're going to be boots on the ground," said Holyoke Police Chief, James Neiswanger, "We're here, we're here to stay."

"This particular office is going to be our home away from home," said Officer Patrick Leahy. Officer Leahy is a Holyoke native, that's why cutting crime back in the city means so much for him and the other officers in the community policing unit. "All of us here that are working are born and raised "holyokers" so it really helps, you feel that pride," said officer Leahy.

City pride is what many are hoping will lessen the city's crime - block by block, year by year. "The idea is to set up shop, set up camp, take the area and then hold it. And then when we succeed, grow it," said Chief Neiswanger.

http://www.cbs3springfield.com/story/16386763/holyoke-police-dept-creates-new-community-station?

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Cyber Alerts for Parents & Kids

Tip #1: Be Prudent When Posting Images Online

With the explosive popularity of smartphones and social media platforms, sharing photos has never been easier. Millions of pictures are uploaded to the web every day, and camera-enabled mobile phones are the perennial top-selling consumer electronic devices. So it's a safe bet that even more photos will be cropping up on image-hosting communities and personal websites.

But what exactly is being shared?

In some cases, you might unwittingly be letting others know where you live and work and your travel patterns and habits. These details can be revealed through bits of information embedded in images taken with smartphones and some digital cameras and then shared on public websites. The information, called metadata, often includes the times, dates, and geographical coordinates (latitude and longitude) where images are taken.

While the geospatial data can be helpful in myriad web applications that plot image locations, it also opens a door for criminals, including burglars, stalkers, and predators. It's not a stretch to imagine young teens' images of their ventures to the mall or beach being culled by web predators and meticulously plotted on online maps.

http://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/2011/december/cyber_122211/cyber_122211

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Secretary Napolitano Highlights DHS' Progress in 2011

WASHINGTON—Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano on Monday toured operations and received briefings at DHS facilities in the National Capital Region. The Secretary toured Transportation Security Administration and Customs and Border Protection operations at Washington Dulles International Airport, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Cyber Crimes Center in Virginia, the Secret Service's James J. Rowley Training Center in Beltsville, Md. and the FEMA IMAT and the Fairfax USAR team in Herndon, Va. - highlighting the major steps the Department has taken this year to enhance America's capabilities to guard against terrorism; secure the nation's borders; engage in smart enforcement of our immigration laws; safeguard and secure cyberspace; prepare for, respond to and recover from disasters; and to mature and strengthen the homeland security enterprise.

“This year, as we observed the 10th anniversary of the attacks that gave rise to our department, we continued to strengthen the safety, security, and resilience of our nation,” said Secretary Napolitano. “As we move into 2012, we will continue to work together with our federal, state, local, tribal and private sector partners to address new and emerging challenges while maturing and strengthening the homeland security enterprise.”

To prevent terrorism and enhance security , DHS continued to collaborate with our international partners, forging agreements focused on strengthening aviation security; facilitating information-sharing; and securing the global supply chain. The Department also began new risk-based security measures through prescreening of passengers; deployment of new technologies; and training of airport security and law enforcement personnel to better detect behaviors associated with terrorism. In addition, the Department continued to enhance and streamline its vetting and screening capabilities, strengthen the national network of fusion centers, and support state and local partners through training, technical assistance and grant funding. The Department also continued expansions of the “If You See Something, Say Something TM " public awareness campaign through partnerships with sports teams and leagues, transportation agencies, private sector partners, states, municipalities, and colleges and universities.

http://www.dhs.gov/ynews/releases/20111222-dhs-progress-2011.shtm

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Dec 26, 2011

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San Diego naval hospital testing unusual PTSD treatment

Naval Medical Center San Diego is studying whether an anesthetic used during childbirth could help relieve symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder.

Reporting from San Diego -- The Pentagon is spending hundreds of millions of dollars searching for a treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder, the overarching term for the nightmares, flashbacks, anxiety and restlessness suffered by many troops returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.

Nearly all of the dozens of research projects involve long-term counseling and prescription drugs.

But researchers at the Naval Medical Center San Diego believe that something as seemingly simple as injections of an anesthetic given to women during childbirth may be effective in alleviating the symptoms associated with PTSD.

Early testing on several dozen veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts has proved promising, with some, although not all, showing signs of relief from stellate ganglion block treatment, researchers said.

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-ptsd-treatment-20111226,0,6614774,print.story

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Death penalty, by the numbers

Statistical evidence of racial bias should be considered when handing down capital punishment.

North Carolina is in the midst of a struggle between the governor and the Legislature over whether death row inmates should be allowed to use statistical evidence of racial bias to challenge their sentences. In our view, they should. Some communities have imposed the death penalty in such an unequal way that it makes sense to deprive them of the power to do it again.

Among the compelling arguments against capital punishment are its inherent brutality and its potential for error. But documented patterns of racial discrimination in sentencing are also well established and deeply troubling, particularly in cases in which the crime victim is white. A 2005 study of homicides in California from 1990 to 1999, for instance, drawing on FBI data, found that 2.1% of the offenders suspected of killing non-Latino whites were sentenced to death, compared with only 0.68% of those suspected of killing non-Latino African Americans.

In 2009, North Carolina's Legislature passed the Racial Justice Act, which allows defendants to make the case — at a pretrial hearing or after conviction — that statistics show that the death penalty has been imposed significantly more often on defendants in their geographical area because of their race or that of the victim. (Similar legislation was introduced in California in 2010 but languished in committee.) If the judge determines that race has been a factor — not in the individual case but statistically — then the death sentence may not be sought or would have to be vacated. Instead, the defendant would be sentenced to life without parole.

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/opinionla/la-ed-1226-death-20111226,0,1131396,print.story

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'Anonymous' hackers target US security think tank

LONDON -- The loose-knit hacking movement "Anonymous" claimed Sunday to have stolen thousands of credit card numbers and other personal information belonging to clients of U.S.-based security think tank Stratfor. One hacker said the goal was to pilfer funds from individuals' accounts to give away as Christmas donations, and some victims confirmed unauthorized transactions linked to their credit cards.

Anonymous boasted of stealing Stratfor's confidential client list, which includes a range of entities from banks to Apple the U.S. Air Force to the Miami Police Department, and mining it for more than 4,000 credit card numbers, passwords and home addresses.

"Not so private and secret anymore?" the group taunted in a message on Twitter, promising that the attack on Stratfor was just the beginning of a Christmas-inspired assault on a long list of targets.

Anonymous said the client list it posted was a small slice of its 200 gigabytes worth of plunder it stole from Stratfor and promised more leaks. It said it was able to get the credit details in part because Stratfor didn't bother encrypting them -- an easy-to-avoid blunder which, if true, would be a major embarrassment for any security-related company.

http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D9RROBRO3.htm

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