President Barack Obama signs an executive order for the government to freeze all assets of international criminals as part of a larger strategy to protect national security.
Most of the groups identified in an announcement about the strategy are connected to the former Soviet Union.
“Today’s criminal networks are fluid, striking new alliances with other networks around the world and engaging in a wide range of illicit activities, including cybercrime and providing support for terrorism.”
The administration said it would also redouble intelligence collection efforts to reduce “transnational organized crime” from a national security threat to a “manageable public safety problem.”
Although criminal networks, from syndicates in Russia to drug traffickers in West Africa, have long operated on a global stage, experts say those groups now often find common cause with terrorist networks and insurgencies.
The Washington Post
Source
Photo: dcblog
