Intruder
Enters UN
Through
Unguarded E.
River Post, To
Ban's
Office
By
Matthew
Russell Lee,
Exclusive
Must-Credit
UNITED
NATIONS,
August 27,
updated --
There was a
break-in at
the UN on
Monday
afternoon,
Inner City
Press has
learned, while
global news
media
focused on
Syria chemical
weapons and
possible
missile
strikes.
The
intruder came
in through the
door or
Security post
next to the
satellite dish
facing the
East River,
proceeded up
toward the top
of
the UN where
Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon's
office is.
When
the intruder
was finally
apprehended,
he was taken
into custody
by
the 17th
Precinct of
the New York
Police
Department. As
it turns out,
he had been
with his
father working
an electrical
job on 21st
Street.
But as more
than one UN
Security
officer told
Inner City
Press, it
could have
been someone
else, it could
have been much
worst.
Budget
cuts are
blamed, as
they are for
delay in
responding to
an electrical
fire in the UN
basement. The
post by the
satellite
dish, which
used
to have an
officer there,
has been
without guard
for some time.
Tuesday, Inner
City Press
went an
observed, the
post was
filled
again. But for
how long?
The
fire, in the
third
sub-basement
where there
used to be a
UN Security
operational
post, was
belatedly
noticed by
cleaning
staff. The UN
spent $2
billion on its
renovation,
while cutting
actual people
working.
The same holds
true for its
audio-visual
work: an
expensive
and so-far
unsuccessful
upgrade in
hardware,
while spending
less on
people, as
questioned by
the new Free
UN Coalition
for Access,
@FUNCA_info.
We'll have
more on this:
watch this
site.
In January 2012
Inner City
Press exclusively
reported the
finding (and
initial
covering up)
of cocaine in
the UN's mail
room.
After that
exclusive, and
Inner City
Press asking
at the day's
UN noon
briefing, then DSS chief
Greg Starr held
a stakeout.
Several wire
services wrote
stories giving
no credit,
saying this
was fine since
based on UN
response to
the Press' exclusive.
Now
the DSS acting
chief is Kevin
Kennedy, who said on
August 23 that
he was heading
to Somalia.
How will the
UN and its
Alliance
react? We'll
see.
Update
of 12:50 pm --
Inner City
Press, after
e-mailing
questions to
UN spokespeople
Farhan Haq and
Martin Nesirky
before 11:30
am, asked at
the day's noon
briefing. Haq
confirmed the
intrusion: "a
young
individual
scaled the fence"
and got into
"the Tower"
but did not
answer on the
role of budget
cuts. Video
here, from
Minute 20:50.
We'll have
more on this.
, 
