False Sense of Security? Experts Assess if Embassies Are Taking Proper Precautions by Tim Deady On Aug. 1, a powerful car bomb exploded outside the home of the Philippine ambassador in Jakarta, Indonesia, killing two people and injuring 22 others, including Ambassador Leonides Caday. Caday was seriously hurt, with injuries to his head, arms and legs. Following three operations, he was placed in a hospitalís intensive care unit but is expected to make a full recovery. Indonesian authorities said the bomb was placed in a van that was parked outside the ambassadorís residence in an upscale Jakarta neighborhood. The bomb detonated as Caday was entering his driveway in a chauffeur-driven black Mercedes-Benz sedan. The explosive device damaged the ambassadorís residence, along with several nearby homes where other diplomats, politicians and business leaders live. Immediately after the blast, Indonesian authorities linked the bombing to Muslim rebels fighting for an independent state in the southern part of the Philippines. One large Islamic group has denied responsibility for the bombing. Could such an incident happen in Washington, D.C.? It has been 18 years since there was a major security breach or act of terrorism against a diplomat or embassy building in Washington. But that doesnít mean it canít happen here, said security experts and embassy officials. As is the case with all such incidents, the Jakarta bombing again brought home the issue of security for Washingtonís 3,000 embassy workers and 150 foreign embassies. Security for diplomats and embassy buildings has always been a high priority, but there is also an acknowledgement that there could be a false sense of safety among Washingtonís highly visible embassy community. "We have become too complacent about security and terrorist attacks in this country and in Washington," said Alex Stanich, general manager of American Security and Control in Falls Church, Va., a company that provides security equipment and advice to governments and private industry. "There are many other countries around the world that have much less exposure to terrorist acts than we do but do far more to guard against it." Following the bombing in Indonesia, officials at the Philippine Embassy on Massachusetts Avenue N.W. did not take any extraordinary measures to beef up security for either the embassy building or Ambassador Ernesto Maceda, said spokeswoman Bing Cardenas. She said the embassy undertook a major review of its security measures just before the bombing when Philippine President Joseph Estrada visited Washington for three days. In the past, officials at the Philippine Embassy have complained about the public street parking along the stretch of Massachusetts Avenue referred to as Embassy Row. They said the metered parking presents a risk of a car bomb like the one that went off in Jakarta. Cardenas said the parking situation is unchanged, but for the most part the embassyís 60 staff members feel secure in Washington. "In preparation for our presidentís visit we reviewed some of our security lapses, like leaving the gate unattended and not having people sign in and out. We are very careful about our surroundings and the parking and feel pretty safe because weíre being watched by our own security and people who patrol the area from the uniform division of the U.S. Secret Service," said Cardenas. Embassies are basically responsible for their own security, but under federal statutes, the uniform division of the Secret Service, which is part of the U.S. Treasury Department, is also responsible. The State Departmentís bureau of diplomatic security also provides advice and protection against acts of terrorism and security risks for foreign embassies. Washingtonís Metropolitan Police Department is not involved in security issues at embassies, unless they are called to investigate a crime on embassy grounds. Andy Laine, a spokesman for the bureau of diplomatic security, declined to discuss any details of his agencyís role in embassy safety. He would only comment on the agencyís existence and that it is available to help embassies guard against terrorist attacks and other security risks to people, buildings and information. "We act as an advisor if they want us," he said. Officials at the Secret Service did not return phone calls for comment. At the Embassy of Indonesia, which is at the corner of 31st Street and Massachusetts Avenue NW, the 80 staff members were told to be extra cautious after the Jakarta bombing, said an official in the defense attacheís office, which handles embassy security. "People were contacted and told to be more aware of their surroundings," said the official, who did not want to be named. The official noted that no extreme measures were taken and part of the reason for the alert was that Indonesian President Abdurrahman Wahid is scheduled to visit the United States in September and may make a stop in Washington. "It is very important that we guard against complacency. It is something we always have to be on guard against," said the official. He said the Jakarta bombing drove home the concern of embassies in Washington, and particularly those located along Massachusetts Avenue, about public street parking near embassy buildings. Linda Grant, a spokeswoman for the D.C. Department of Public Works, which oversees public street parking, said the agency does not have any records of foreign governmentsí concern about metered street parking near embassy buildings. She said the agency has never taken any action to eliminate public parking near embassies because the issue has never come up. "We take a wide variety of concerns into consideration when we consider short-term metered parking, like whether it is close to businesses that will benefit or whether it will hurt or help commercial unloading. Security at embassies has not been a factor because no one has raised the issue," she said. To one degree or another, all embassies are concerned about terrorism and security issues. Some embassies have a highly visible security force; others take the more subtle approach with elaborate high-tech equipment to protect people, buildings and information. Embassies are on guard against threats that can include bombings, assassinations, kidnappings, extortion, spying, and stealing government, industrial and trade secrets. The threats or risks can come from anywhere or any region of the world. For instance, the Oklahoma City bombing of a government building in 1995 was carried out by an American while the bombing of the World Trade Center in New York was by a Middle East terrorist group. Kent Brown, managing director of Pinkerton Global Intelligence Services in Arlington, Va., advises governments and private industry overseas on security issues. He does not do any work in the United States. He said there are several reasons why Washington is a relatively safe place for embassies and embassy staff members. For one thing, Brown noted that embassy security is a high priority item, and the U.S. government does a good job in protecting embassies and diplomats. "The U.S. government doesnít want something happening to the embassies here. They are very high profile, so a lot of resources and energy are put in to making sure embassies and diplomats are safe," said Brown. "If the government put as much effort into other areas, we wouldnít have any crime anywhere in this country." Related to the high-profile nature of embassy safety is the good record of U.S. law enforcement agencies in catching terrorists or others involved in crimes against embassies. "If someone does something here in the U.S., thereís a real good chance theyíll get caught, prosecuted and punished. In some countries, chances are you wouldnít get caught, and if you do, nothing will happen to you," said Brown. In terms of personal safety of embassy staff, Brown said that in Washington it is hard to distinguish a diplomat from any other businessperson in the city. "In some cities around the world, embassy workers stick out and make an easy target. They dress well and often ride around in nice cars. Here in Washington, you really canít pick out a diplomat from anyone else, so that makes it a lot harder for someone to go after a diplomat," said Brown. Some embassies in Washington are far more vulnerable to violent terrorist acts or security problems than others, said security experts. Basically, the more enemies a country has, the greater the risk, they said. Because of the role in the United States in the world, U.S. embassies around the world are particularly vulnerable. Two years ago, two U.S. embassies in Africa were bombed, killing 224 people. No one has been prosecuted, but terrorist groups led by Islamic militant Osama bin Laden are believed to be behind those bombings at U.S. emb assies in Kenya and Tanzania. In Washington, it has been 18 years since there was an act of terrorism against a foreign embassy or one of its workers. In 1982 a military attachÈ from the Israeli Embassy was gunned down and killed while leaving his home in Bethesda, Md. It is assumed a terrorist was responsible for that assassination, but no one has ever been prosecuted. And, in one of the most notorious crimes against a government official in Washington, a former ambassador from Chile, Orlando Letelier, was killed in 1976 by a car bomb at Sheridan Circle. A supporter of then President Gen. Augusto Pinochet had planted the bomb. Numerous embassies around Washington have been the site of sometimes-violent demonstrations over the years, but there have been no incidents when embassy buildings sustained major damage. Publicly at least, there have been no major espionage or kidnapping cases in foreign embassies in Washington in recent years. Overall, embassies and embassy staff feel secure in Washington, but safety is never far from everyday life, said diplomats. "I would say we have the normal security measures in place here but nothing out of the ordinary. We donít have guards or police around all the time," said Achilles Paparsenos, a spokeswoman for the Greek Embassy. She said staff members are advised to take the usual precautions when they are posted in Washington. "They are told to avoid some neighborhoods and take precautions, but overall people feel safe here," she said. A few embassies in Washington have heavy security measures in place. The Israeli Embassy on International Drive NW is believed to have an extensive security system. Officials there do not discuss their security measures. The Embassy of Canada is also supposed to have an extensive security system, largely because of its high-profile location at 501 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, and its sizeó220 staff members. The embassy has its own 20-member security force. Entrance to the embassy is restricted, as is parking around the embassy. The embassy is also believed to be equipped with the latest high-tech security systems. Officials at the embassy declined to discuss security measures. The 200-person Japanese Embassy, located along Embassy Row on Massachusetts Avenue, is also believed to have an extensive security system. Toshi Sakamoto, chief of security at the embassy, said the Washington facility is more open and accessible to the public than other Japanese embassies around the world. But still, he said, the embassy has strict security rules. All visitors must pass through a security post that includes a metal detector. Access to parts of the building is restricted. All mail and deliveries coming in to the embassy pass through an X-ray machine, said Sakamoto. "We do occasionally get threats or strange letters or faxes or phone calls, and we take them all seriously because there are a lot of crazy people out there," said Sakamoto. Not too long ago, the X-ray machine picked up in a package that contained what looked like a bomb. The embassy and nearby buildings were evacuated but it turned out to be a fake bomb, said Sakamoto. On another occasion, the X-ray machine picked up an unidentifiable liquid material contained in a package addressed to the embassy. Because the embassy feared a repeat of a 1995 incident when a religious cult group released a deadly gas inside the Tokyo subway, officials contacted the Secret Service. After testing, the liquid turned out to be harmless, said Sakamoto. The embassy, said Sakamoto, is patrolled 24 hours a day by a uniformed security force. When staff members are posted in the embassy from Japan, they undergo an extensive security briefing, said Sakamoto. At embassies that represent small countries and governments with few enemies, there is much less emphasis placed on security issues. At the eight-person embassy of the island-nation of Mauritius, which is in a commercial office building on Connecticut Avenue N.W., security is not a high priority, acknowledged Ambassador Chitmansing Jesseramsing. "Weíre a neutral country, and we donít have any perceived enemies, so we donít really have any problems with terrorists or anything like that," he said. The embassy does not have any full-time security staff. Jesseramsingówho with 25 years in his post is one of the senior ambassadors in Washingtonósaid he does not have a bodyguard and has never had a problem in Washington. He said he gets around Washington mostly on his own without a chauffeur. The embassy also has never had a security problem, said Jesseramsing. If there were a problem or concern, the State Department and Secret Service would be contacted, he said. "Most of the small countries really donít need much security, and for many developing countries it is a matter of money," said Jesseramsing, "If there is a problem we can contact the government here. They do a very good job of providing security for embassies." Tim Deady is a contributing writer for The Washington Diplomat.