Last month they escalated a low-intensity conflict with those they deem to be trespassers by barring the way with plastic tape and hiring private security guards, whom the Potsdam police soon removed.

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And in February 2003, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security advised Americans to stock up on duct tape and plastic sheeting so that they could seal their homes in the event of a chemical or biological attack.

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Last week, for example, it broadcast a tape that appeared to show two creepy Russian security men trying to intimidate a witness in a controversial spy trial.

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One item on the laptop that was cited by Kohlmann linked to a YouTube video of a 2009 CNN report featuring the network's national security analyst, Peter Bergen, talking about a newly released audio tape from Osama bin Laden.

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What does seem unlikely is that a junior security guard would be able to record hundreds of hours of confidential conversations simply by placing a tape recorder under a sofa, which is what Mr Melnichenko claims to have done.

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At the White House, the Secret Service expanded its security perimeter after the attacks, shutting down Pennsylvania Avenue and cordoning off the area with yellow police tape.

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