BOYAN BOYANOV, head of the National Association of the Persons and Associations Performing Protective Activity (NAPAPPA), tells VELINA NACHEVA how his organisation has become involved in teaching appropriate responses to terrorism.



THERE are two main motivations driving the terrorists of the 21st century world, says Boyan Boyanov.

The first is associated with those who claim, or have, their religion as their motive. The second stems from one political ideology or another.

In the first category, there are those who act on the basis of their interpretation of Islam; and indeed there have been those who do the same on their understanding of Christianity. Where these two religious forces meet, the encounter can prove a volatile one.

As to politics, says Boyanov, the motive force behind states sponsoring terrorism usually operates behind a façade of the protection of a country's national interests.

In the face of the end result of these motive forces, which is the terrorism that has become pervasive in the world, ordinary citizens need to be equipped to deal with the situation. One aspect of this, he says, is being able to recognise a terrorist. This is the duty of ordinary people as much as it is of national security services, Boyanov holds.

Boyanov says that the methods of terrorists are unpredictable and varied.

Detection of a threat of a terrorist attack is closely connected to the level of preliminary information that may be gleaned from the milieu in which terrorist organisations operate, their "environments" as he terms them.

"Methods of terrorism vary from kidnapping, suicide bombings, conventional bombs, and, God forbid, the use of chemical weapons and biological substances," Boyanov said.

He is reluctant to speak in detail about this aspect, concerned that ideas and opportunities should not be presented to terrorists.

His main concern is that people should be well informed about the trends and threats that are characteristic of terrorism.

Above all, the watchword is vigilance, he says. Everyone has a responsibility to be on the alert in administrative buildings, on public transport, and in other places where many people gather.

One of the tasks of NAPAPPA is to ensure that people are prepared, so as to avoid panic.

"It is difficult to overcome fear, in general, because this is a natural human reaction in extreme circumstances," Boyanov says.

However, he adds, panic is an instinct, that can be overcome.

Terrorists, by definition, feed on panic as the fuel of the situations they want to achieve.

NAPAPPA organises courses in various administrative venues, private companies, banks and other potential targets of terrorists.

By so doing, it is hoped, they may contribute to countering the concerns that were raised on September 11 this year by Rumen Stoyanov, chief of the Sofia Regional Police Directorate.

"There are more than 40 buildings in Sofia under potential threat of terrorist attacks. In the wake of the acts of terror in Spain, Turkey, and other countries, the risk of terrorist attacks in Sofia is increasing," Stoyanov said.

The list in question included the buildings of the Presidency, the Cabinet, Sofia International Airport, the National Palace of Culture, Bulgarian National Television, Bulgarian National Radio, and railway stations, diplomatic missions, hospitals, schools and stadiums.

The anti terror courses that NAPAPPA organises do not aim to create panic among people but is targeted rather at readying them to deal with such situations.

Trained and experienced experts in legislation, psychology, fire and emergency safety, commandos, as well as corporate security officers and anti terrorism squad lecturers all take part in the anti-terrorism courses.

There are practical and theoretical sessions, culminating at the end of the course with a simulation of an act of terror.

According to Boyanov, their sessions are based on the experience of the US, France, Germany and Israel.

"The level of anti-terrorism programmes developed in Israel is among the best," Boyanov says. Civilians there are well trained in responding to terrorist attacks, and police have a two-minute reaction time.

The course includes adapted lectures for security and access to a bank building, insurance organisations and administrative buildings. Sessions include issues such as prevention, identifying suspicious people and packages, and a presentation on Stockholm Syndrome, where the hostage starts expressing strong positive feelings towards the terrorist.

"This syndrome is connected to the instinct for self protection," Boyanov says.

The don'ts in cases of an act of terror are simple.

"Do not contradict or oppose what a terrorist requires," Boyanov says, adding that a panic button should not be seen as a saviour and therefore must not be activated.

"Being unresponsive to a terrorist demands puts everyone's life in jeopardy."

He advises people taken hostage to constantly watch terrorists but to avoid eye contact.

Negotiating with terrorists is a science in itself, he says.

Kidnappers or terrorists do not usually intend killing the hostages, Boyanov says, explaining that murder is a last resort towards achieving other social, financial or religious goals.

Terrorists should not be provoked to react out of fury and all their orders should be obeyed, Boyanov says.

Terrorism and organised crime present similar threats and use similar methods.

In this respect, NAPAPPA, that includes 47 security companies with over 100 000 employees are successfully working with the state and Interior Ministry.

Speaking recently about the threat posed by organised crime, Interior Ministry chief secretary Boiko Borissov said that Bulgaria was geographically at a crossroads, and at that among quite troubled states. This made it an attractive centre for criminal bosses and their underlings to set up home and businesses, Borissov said.

Aware that in Bulgaria there is a lot of negative sentiment associated with the word "bodyguard", because of the stereotypical thick-necked goons always seen surrounding organised crime figures, Boyanov sought to set his organisation apart from these mutri.

The mutri, he said, were drawn from the ranks of former wrestlers, who were not people who ever got involved in initiatives to protect the lives and safety of ordinary people.

The present-day security employee has to meet a number of serious requirements. Boyanov lists these as including being free of a criminal record, and having health certificates, good psychological condition, and loyalty.

According to Stoyanov, the Sofia Directorate of the Interior is permanently in contact with the units responsible for Sofia's security.

Presently, extremist religious organisations, noted as potential perpetrators of acts of terror, are being watched.

At a recent conference in Sofia, Bulgarian President Georgi Purvanov said that the country's membership of NATO did not mean an automatic guarantee of security. This was because the assymetric strategy of terrorists is designed towards achieving their goals without clashing directly with security services, including conventional and well-organised NATO units.

Said Purvanov: "Today security is a problem determining the agenda of Bulgarian society, too. We should realise this before something even worse happens to us".