NATO MUltimedia

What’s crucial for countering terrorism? Collecting information and material that may be used as battlefield evidence. NATO is running a course teaching such skills to partners in Vicenza, Italy.

After a terrorist attack occurs, it is crucial to collect and analyse any information and material left at the scene. This can include mobile phones, photos, fingerprints and DNA. This information is known as ‘battlefield evidence’ and can help prevent similar attacks in the future.
NATO is teaching basic evidence collection skills to police and military personnel from partner countries in Africa, in the Gulf and in the Middle East to give the trainees the basic tools to fight terrorism.
The training was organised by the NATO Stability Policing Centre of Excellence in Vicenza, Italy and was funded by the Bureau of Counterterrorism of the US Department of State. Participants came from NATO partner countries Algeria, Bahrain, Jordan and Tunisia.

TEXT ON SCREEN —

AFTER TERRORISTS HIT THEIR TARGET

IT IS CRUCIAL TO QUICKLY COLLECT INFORMATION LEFT ON THE GROUND

IT CAN MAKE THE DIFFERENCE IN PREVENTING NEW ATTACKS FROM HAPPENING

THESE ITEMS ARE KNOWN AS BATTLEFIELD EVIDENCE

—SOUNDBITE IN ENGLISH—

GRAPHIC: JAMES SPENCLEY, Digital forensics expert, US Army Southern European Task Force-Africa

Whether that be cell phones, whether that be documents, computers, DNA, fingerprints. All this is battlefield evidence.”

— TEXT ON SCREEN —
COLLECTING IT CAN UNCOVER

THE IDENTITY AND INTENTIONS OF TERRORISTS

—UPSOT IN ENGLISH — JAMES SPENCLEY, Digital forensics expert, US Army Southern European Task Force-Africa

“Ten seconds can be the difference between finding a thumb drive hidden somewhere, or not finding that thumb drive. That thumb drive might be where the bombs are located that are going to kill one of your comrades.”

NATO IS TEACHING BASIC SKILLS

IN INCIDENT SCENE PRESERVATION

AND INFORMATION AND MATERIAL COLLECTION

TO POLICE AND MILITARY PERSONNEL

FROM NATO PARTNERS IN AFRICA, IN THE GULF AND IN THE MIDDLE EAST

TO BOOST THEIR ABILITY TO BRING TERRORISTS TO JUSTICE

—SOUNDBITE IN ENGLISH—
JAMES SPENCLEY, Digital forensics expert, US Army Southern European Task Force-Africa
“From an intelligence perspective this battlefield evidence is extremely important. It helps us find follow-on targets and helps us to develop other intel products.

Not only do we want the intelligence value of this, we also want to be able to put these people away so they don’t create more problems down the road.”