Morning Security Brief: DNI Nominee, JFK Airport Terror Arrests, Intel Analyst Arrested, al Qaeda #3 Death, & Baggage Theft

♦ Defense Secretary Robert Gates is a fan of James Clapper, the newest nominee for the position of director of national intelligence. "He is the consummate intelligence professional who has the respect of virtually everybody in the community," Gates said. "I think the president could not have found a better person, more experienced person, or with a better temperament to do this job and actually make it work, than Jim Clapper." If Clapper is confirmed by the Senate, he will take over Dennis Blair, who resigned at the end of May.

♦ Two men were arrested at John F. Kennedy International Airport over the weekend for attempting to join a foreign terrorist organization and wage jihad. "Mr. [Mohamed Mahmood Alessa] Alessa, an American whose parents are Palestinian, and Mr. [Carlos Eduardo] Almonte, a naturalized citizen from the Dominican Republic, were taken into custody at JFK on Saturday, prosecutors said," according to The Wall Street Journal. "The men were planning to fly to Egypt and then make their way to Somalia by boat to join Al Shabaab, which has been designated a foreign terrorist organization by the U.S. government, prosecutors said." Alessa and Almonte's arrests are more evidence that Somali-American men continue to travel to Somalia to fight alongside Al Shabaab, an Islamist militia fighting for control of the war-torn country.

♦ The Army has arrested one of its intelligence analyst's for leaking sensitive information to the whistleblower site Wikileaks. Turned in by a former computer hacker, SPC Bradley Manning took credit for leaking a headline-making video of a helicopter attack that Wikileaks posted online in April. The video showed a deadly 2007 U.S. helicopter air strike in Baghdad that claimed the lives of several innocent civilians," Wired.com reports. "He said he also leaked three other items to Wikileaks: a separate video showing the notorious 2009 Garani air strike in Afghanistan that Wikileaks has previously acknowledged is in its possession; a classified Army document evaluating Wikileaks as a security threat, which the site posted in March; and a previously unreported breach consisting of 260,000 classified U.S. diplomatic cables that Manning described as exposing 'almost criminal political back dealings.'”

♦ Stuart A. Levy, Treasury undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, takes to the op-ed page of The Washington Post to explain what the death of al Qaeda's chief financial officer, Mustafa Abu al-Yazid, means for the terrorist organization. "More than anyone else, Yazid possessed links to the deep-pocketed donors in the Arabian Peninsula and beyond who have historically formed the backbone of al-Qaeda's financial support network," writes Levy. "Wealthy donors gave their money and, more important, placed their trust in Yazid, which makes him exceedingly difficult to replace. With Yazid gone, confidence that donations to al-Qaeda will reach their intended destination will continue to erode."

♦ Air travelers on their way to the World Cup in South Africa have a unique problem to contend with upon arrival: baggage theft. Three years ago, there was an average of 40 thefts reported each day at Johannesburg's OR Tambo International Airport, which the airport has reduced significantly along with new anti-theft investments. "Airports Company South Africa has spent 165 million rands (21 million dollars, 17 million euros) upgrading security ahead of the June 11 kick-off, including electronic bag scanners meant to cut down on luggage theft," reports Agence France Presse. The U.S. embassy also advises air travelers to shrink wrap their bags to reduce the chances of theft.