Careful action planning

If you use an incendiary device in an action and the device fails, an adversary can recover the device intact or partially intact and potentially find much more evidence than if the device had not failed. To mitigate this, you can:

• Make and use several test devices similar to the “real” device you will use in the action. You should conduct the tests with good security precautions because conducting such tests can be incriminating. In particular, you can:
  • Construct test devices with components of the same brand and model as the components you will use for the real device.
  • Store test devices in the same conditions (e.g. humidity) as the real device, and for the same length of time.
  • Transport test devices in the same way as the real device.
  • Install test devices in the same conditions as the real device (weather, temperature, darkness, etc.)
• Ensure that you will be able to construct, transport, and install the device under the psychological conditions of the action (e.g. stress).

If you use accelerant in an action and an adversary goes through the effort of collecting accelerant samples for comparison (e.g. gasoline samples from gas stations), they could identify the source of the accelerant you used. To mitigate this, you can:

• Make the identification less likely to be effective by using a mix of accelerants of the same type coming from different sources (e.g. gasoline from different gas stations).
• Make the identification even less likely to be effective by using a mix of accelerants of the same type from sources located in different areas (so that the chemical compositions of the accelerants are more distinct) and let some time pass between when you obtain the accelerants and when you use them (so that the adversary cannot retroactively obtain the samples they would need for comparison because the fuel tanks of the gas stations where you obtained the accelerants have been refilled).

An adversary can use DNA forensics to collect DNA at an action site. To mitigate this, you can carefully plan the action to minimize DNA traces at the action site. For example, you can:

• Secure your hair under a hat.
• If you have to cut a fence, cut any fence holes large enough to pass through without touching the fence.
• Ensure that surfaces at the action site are not touched if they do not need to be, and that surfaces that need to be interacted with (such as a door handle) are touched by someone following DNA minimization protocols.
• Ensure that nothing is accidentally left behind such as a bag, tool, or anything that could fall out of a pocket.

An adversary can use fingerprint forensics to collect and analyze fingerprints at an action site. To mitigate this, you can carefully plan the action so that any tools you plan to use during the action are free of fingerprints in case you lose them or have to discard them in a location where they can be recovered by an adversary.

An adversary can use gait recognition to analyze your gait on CCTV footage at or near an action site. To mitigate this, you can carefully plan the action so you avoid moving with your usual gait near a camera.

An adversary can use trace evidence to link objects to an action site. To mitigate this, after the action, you can plan to:

• Dispose of the objects you used during the action.
• If an object is too expensive to discard after each action, store it in a stash spot or safe house.
• If a tool is too expensive to discard after each action, modify it so that an adversary cannot link it to traces it may have left at the action site. For example, you can dispose of the disc of a disc cutter.

Civilians can observe you during an action and report their observations to an adversary. To mitigate this, you can carry out actions at night or in areas with minimal foot traffic to minimize witnesses, and use a lookout to report the presence of any witnesses as soon as they are noticed. Beware of balconies and windows overlooking the action site.