IntelCenter

Last updated
IntelCenter
IndustryIntelligence
Founded1989
Headquarters Alexandria, Virginia
Key people
Ben N. Venzke, CEO

IntelCenter is a United States company, founded in 1989. It is based near Washington, D.C., in Alexandria, Virginia.

Contents

The company "is a private contractor working for intelligence agencies". [1] Its stated purpose is to "study terrorist groups and other threat actors and disseminating that information in a timely manner to those who can act on it. We look at capabilities and intentions, warnings and indicators, operational characteristics and a wide variety of other points in order to better understand how to interdict terrorist operations and reduce the likelihood of future attacks."

IntelCenter has a sister company, Tempest Publishing. The company's CEO is Ben N. Venzke.

Al-Qaeda tapes

IntelCenter has provided several video tapes to the Western press that show professed al-Qaeda members, including the following.

IntelCenter offers "Qaeda" tapes for sale on its website.

Question of authenticity

Neal Krawetz did an error level analysis of the As-Sahab and IntelCenter logos on "a 2006 al Qaeda video of Ayman al-Zawahiri". He originally told Kim Zetter of Wired News that the logos had "the same error levels and that this indicated they were added at the same time" (Zetter's words). IntelCenter boss Venzke subsequently denied that his organization had added the As-Sahab logo. He commented: "just because the error levels are the same for two items in an image, that doesn't prove they were added at the same time, only that the compression was the same for both items when they were added" (Zetter's words). Krawetz then went back on his original statement, saying that "the error levels on the IntelCenter and As-Sahab logos are different and that the IntelCenter logo was added after the As-Sahab logo" (Zetter's words again). [13]

IntelCenter has not revealed how it acquires these videos or explained the discrepancies of the As-Sahab and IntelCenter logos.

Ian Clark, director of AHC, stated in an interview with a Norwegian blog that "IntelCenter for years has forged Osama bin-Laden video tapes" and that "IntelCenter is not a credible intelligence source".[ who? ]

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References

  1. 1 2 Al-Qaida Deputy Speaks in New Video", ABC News online, 5 July 2007, caption to video still (expand caption).
  2. ↑ Associated Press, "U.S. Deems al Qaeda Video Propaganda", Fox News, 29 April 2006.
  3. ↑ "'Al-Qaeda video' of 20th hijacker", BBC News online, 21 June 2006.
  4. ↑ Yahoo Article
  5. ↑ Yahoo Article
  6. ↑ Yahoo news photos, "Osama bin Laden and al-Qaida", #14, 1 Feb. 2008.
  7. ↑ Agence France Presse, "Al-Qaeda number two slams Hamas for seeking negotiations", 4 July 2007.
  8. ↑ Print version of AP (ABC News) article of 5 July 2007 [ permanent dead link ].
  9. ↑ Associated Press, "New video raises questions on bin Laden", Yahoo News, 11 September 2007.
  10. ↑ Associated Press, "New Usama Video ...", Fox News, 8 Sept. 2007. An earlier version of this article (entitled "Bin Laden wants 'caravan' of martyrs") apparently stated that the video was "first obtained by IntelCenter".
  11. ↑ "'Propaganda video' of dead GI released", CBS News, 14 Sept. 2007.
  12. ↑ Agence France Presse, "UN enemy of Islam: Al-Qaeda number two", Sydney Morning Herald, 3 April 2008.
  13. ↑ Kim Zetter, "Researcher's Analysis of al Qaeda Images Reveals Surprises -- UPDATED", Wired, Aug. 2, 2007, + updates; note 2nd and 3rd updates.
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