U.S. Companies Search for Security

Last week’s terrorist attacks on two U.S. embassies in Africa that seemed unlikely targets have prompted U.S. companies operating overseas to reassess their security precautions in cities not usually associated with terrorism, security experts said Monday.

Fears of corporate vulnerability caused the phones to ring off the hooks Monday at international security consulting firms such as Kroll-O’Gara in New York and Wackenhut in Palm Beach, Fla., which make a living telling companies how to protect themselves against crime, kidnappings, political instability and terrorism.

As a result of the calls, Wackenhut said it is making security assessments for more than 20 clients over the next month in seven countries where before no such assessments were deemed necessary. Wackenhut declined to identify the countries.

Kroll-O’Gara said it is sending a special team to visit clients in Africa as a result of fears generated by the bombings.

“The chess pieces have been moved around the board a little bit,” said Alan Bernstein, president of Wackenhut’s North American operations. He said the distinction is blurring between countries known for “high-profile terrorism” and those that aren’t, a shift that began with the World Trade Center bombing in New York in 1993.

Moreover, as U.S. government facilities tighten their perimeters in response to last week’s attacks, groups targeting “American interests in a general blanket sense” might view U.S. corporations as easier victims, Kroll-O’Gara’s Christopher Marquet said Monday.

The growth of U.S. trade with developing countries has made the job of security more complex and far-reaching.

“The big oil, gas and telecom companies typically have security procedures and contingent plans in place. But with all these markets opening up, you have smaller service companies going into places like Africa and other new places around the globe, and they aren’t as well prepared,” Marquet said.

Citibank and General Motors, both in Greece, and Occidental Petroleum in Colombia were among the corporate victims of terrorist attacks in recent months. Both countries are recognized hot spots.

But as was the case with Friday’s bombings in Kenya and Tanzania, the rarity of terrorist attacks on foreign targets in a nation doesn’t mean the country is immune. Terrorists killed five employees of Houston-based Union Texas Petroleum on Nov. 12 in Karachi, Pakistan, without warnings or threats. No suspects have been arrested.

“We were totally devastated. It was an isolated event. There had never been any incident like this, and we have operated in Pakistan for more than 20 years,” Union Texas spokeswoman Carol Cox recalled Monday. The company has since been acquired by Los Angeles-based Arco.

In the past, security firms’ bread and butter came from countries where there are religious factions, rebel activity, high rates of street crime, or organized crime. Kroll-O’Gara identifies the 10 riskiest cities for business travelers as Algiers; Bogota, Colombia; Caracas, Venezuela; Johannesburg, South Africa; Karachi; Lagos, Nigeria; Medellin, Colombia; Mexico City; Moscow; and Rio de Janeiro.