The specialized national training workshop on "The use of special investigation techniques in criminal investigations of digital communication channels" was held on 15-18 December 2014 in Tunis, in cooperation with cyberterrorism experts from the Cyberterrorism Group of the Spanish Guardia Civil and the Special Operations Group of the Italian Arma dei Carabinieri. This activity forms part of a series of specialized thematic workshops delivered under the Plan of Action established between the Terrorism Prevention Branch of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC/TPB) and the Government of the Republic of Tunisia with funding provided by the United States of America.
Based on a unique interactive and practical methodology, jointly developed by UNODC/TPB and the Carabinieri and Guardia Civilexperts, this tailor-made training gave some 25 law enforcement officers from the General Directorates of National Security and National Guard of Tunisia, as well as the newly established National Telecommunications Agency (ATT), an opportunity to exchange experiences with their Spanish and Italian colleagues.
In-depth discussions and dedicated sessions ensured transfer of practical knowledge and expertise, such as the necessary tools to investigate terrorist offences on the Internet, including preservation and recovery of digital evidence, as well as an analysis of communication channels used by terrorists.
The workshop sessions were delivered jointly by UNODC/TPB and experts from the Guardia Civil and the Carabinieri . These sessions covered a range of specialized topics, such as international context and investigative challenges, efficient forensic criminal investigation and methods to better investigate Internet-based communication tools (such as VoIP, emailing, chat forums, etc.), as well as preservation and protection of digital evidence, anonymous browsing, Deep Web, security measures related to e-mails, etc. within the framework of respect for rule of law and human rights international standards. The workshop was animated by practical exercises, which were discussed and explained by the trainers.
The delivery of this specialized activity, conducted in close cooperation with the Tunisian Ministry of Interior, as well as the ATT, was very timely as more and more practitioners find themselves increasingly faced with new telecommunications-related challenges, while terrorists appear to adapt perfectly to these new means of communication. Internet has become known to be used by terrorist groups to incite, glorify terrorist acts, recruit, finance or even prepare and commit terrorist attacks.
This point was emphasized during the recent visit of the Minister of Interior of Tunisia to UNODC headquarters in Vienna in September 2014. H.E. Lotfi Ben Jeddou recalled the importance of preventing and countering terrorism for Tunisia, and especially the importance of equipping law enforcement officers with the best possible tools to investigate terrorist offences effectively and engaging in international cooperation, to ensure that States can act quickly and robustly when faced with cross-border challenges.
The workshop ended with both the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Interior, as well as the ATT, welcoming this specialized technical support that UNODC/TPB is providing under the Plan of Action and expressing their full appreciation of it. The subsequent activity to be organized by the UNODC/TPB will focus on human rights and rule of law while countering terrorism. This EU-funded workshop on "The Use of Special Investigation Techniques to Combat Terrorism within the Framework of the Rule of Law and with Respect for Human Rights" will take place in Tunis from 27 to 29 January 2015.