Stalking today is growing at an epidemic rate. Advances in technology make it easier than ever to stalk someone. As we have seen in recent months, the use of Facebook and Twitter can be a great source of information on someone. The agony is the victim is posting the information themselves. Just how dangerous is this? It’s just harmless postings right? Who really cares?

Your stalker cares. All day long individuals “tweet” and post information about themselves. By itself, who cares where you had coffee this morning. Who cares if you were late for your gym class?

Take a print out of your last few months’ postings. Look at it the way an analyst would. You will find more information than you ever thought possible. Separate the topics you mention into different columns. It becomes easy to figure out your schedule, your favorite places, your friends, your habits. What’s worse, some services have GPS locations associated with it. Not only do I know where you are, but I can get a picture of the area and location.

Fordham University hosts Sal Lifrieri who gives a presentation on “Stalking” on July 24, 2010 at 9am.

The events surrounding this case are not any different from the nearly six million cases a year the epidemic known as stalking produces. What makes this case stand out is the celebrity of the victim.

What should the average person do when faced with this type of situation? For starters, it has been reported the case is on-going since 2003. Understand this is typical in most stalking situations. The case drags on for years and becomes debilitating for the victim. It can become so debilitating in fact, that over 130,000 victims loose their jobs annually according to the most recent US Department of Justice report on Stalking.

Sal Lifrieri discusses failed plot to set off bombs in the New York subway system last year and its alleged worldwide connections. Tune or view later video at: http://sallifrieri.com/video/index.htm.

Sal Lifrieri appears on: Fox 5 from New York, tonight, June 29, at 5pm to discuss current security issues. Tune or view later video at: http://sallifrieri.com/video/index.htm .

Often times, victims of stalking try to distance themselves from the stalker by changing their phone number or email address. While this may be a short term solution, it often has a different effect and can cause certain impediments to the case.

First, get another phone number and give that new number to only very close friends and people you can trust and who know about your situation. Next, let all messages from the stalker go directly to voice mail. This helps in a couple of areas.

By recording voice mails, you are building up evidence against the stalker. Each call is a documented instance of the crime. Additionally, trained investigators can assess the messages to see if there has been an increase in volatility and attempt to determine the potential for violence against the victim. Without these recordings, we would never know the possible mental state of the stalker.

Today, news agencies are reporting on a recent posting on a jihadist website which encourages individuals to place bags with innocuous items in public areas. The intended purpose is to cause an increase in “suspicious bag” reports. The desired results will be an increase in public disruptions, especially in transportations areas, as first responders will attempt to identify and declare safe.
There apparently has been no increase as a result of this posting.

Our clients are advised that upon receipt of a “suspicious package” report near their facility, they should promptly review and secure any potential video they may have which would show the package being placed at the location and aid in the identification of the individual who placed it.

Further information can me found at:
http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/jihadi-calls-suspicious-bags-left-dc-nyc/story?id=10826590

Sal Lifrieri on: NBC Nightly News with Chuck Scarborough, WNBC NY, tonight, June 7, 2010 to discuss the two terror suspects arrested at JFK airport New York to face charges of planning to commit acts of international terrorism. Check CableVision ch.109 and RCN for listings at: NBCNewYorkNonStop.com. Tune in or see subsequent video post at: SalLifrieri.com/Video.

Two arrests are made for terrorism in New Jersey, Carlos Almonte and Mohamed Alessa. The subjects were planning to go to Somalia to fight for the cause. They were willing to study, train and die for what they came to believe in. They have American passports and can travel freely.

The problem with this story is not any of the above issues. No, we have and will continue to see this story repeated many times. The problem with this case is the age of the subjects.

According to reports filed, the case has been going on for six years. The subject is now 20 years old, which makes him 14 years old when he was radicalized to a jihadist belief. At a time when he should be taking an interest in women, and engaging in adolecent behavior, he is watching recruiting videos to prepare himself to commit jihad.

The investigation into the Time Square bombing ¹ case led to three men being picked up on administrative charges for immigration violations. It is believed these men supplied money to Faisal for a yet to be determined purpose.

The tracing of money and the use of ICE teams are a great use of resources available to the investigators. While the amount of money may be small in the scope of things, the intelligence value cannot be overstated. Using these resources, we will be able to get a better understanding of how a guy like Faisal operates, and who his friends are. People like this go largely undetected for a long period of time.