The Department of Homeland Security has released a new intelligence report for local law enforcement and first responders that highlights an increasing trend for terrorists and violent criminals to capture first-person video recordings of their attacks and utilizing live streaming broadcast services. According to the DHS, “So far in 2015, there have been at least five incidents in the United States, France, and Belgium where terrorists or criminals used- or apparently sought to use – action cameras or FPV equipment to record first person video of their assaults.”
The five incidents highlighted by DHS included:
- The August 26 2015 attack in which Vester Flanagan murdered to former co-workers during a live news broadcast.
- A July 13 2015 disrupted attack that intended to behead a senior military officer in the South of France and record the attack with GoPro camera
- The January 9 2015 attack by Amedy Coulibaly, who wore a torso-mounted GoPro camera in an attack on a Jewish market in Paris. According to witnesses, Coulibaly tried to upload videos to the Internet within the market.
- A January 15 2015 Belgium arrest where a GoPro camera was found amongst items that included weapons and explosive precursors
- The discovery of a GoPro camera in the vehicle used by two terrorists involved in the January 7 2015 attack against Charlie Hebdo
In addition the cases cited, DHS also listed at least six prominent incidents where criminals or violent extremists used – or planned to use – live streaming video platforms to broadcast their attacks.
