Mystery of U.N. Security Chief Deepens
By Stewart Stogel 
May 16, 2008 
Newsmax
Original Source: http://www.newsmax.com/newsfront/Mystery_UN_Security_/2008/05/16/96656.html

Who exactly is the mysterious and reclusive chief of security at United Nations NYC headquarters, Bruno Henn, a German national? U.S. sources tell NewsMax that Washington is concerned about the lack of transparency re Henn and may file an official complaint with the U.N. Furthermore, on Capitol Hill, Senate sources tell NewsMax that Henn's continued refusal to disclose any details on his pre-U.N. past could result in a formal inquiry into the matter. 
On Thursday, May 8 Newsmax first reported on the controversy surrounding Henn, a 9-year veteran of the U.N. system, who succeeded an American, Michael McCann in June 2004. Previously, Henn served as McCann's hand-picked deputy, coming from U.N. operations in the former Yugoslavia. 
The chief of security at the U.N., is responsible for the safety and welfare of more than 13,000 people spread over the 45-acre headquarters and several additional buildings in New York City. The U.N. security force at the New York City campus numbers approximately 200 drawn from the 192 member states. It is the only non-U.S. entity allowed to carry fire-arms on the streets of the Big Apple. 
Those firearms range from standard side-arm pistols to semi-assault, paramilitary rifles. The U.N.'s security chief is responsible for the personal protection of the secretary-general and his family wherever they travel. The chief is also the main conduit between the world body and U.S. law enforcement/security organizations. 
While Henn assumed the chief's position in 2004, he wasn't officially elevated to the post for an additional 13 months. The United Nations has never explained the delay, officially or unofficially. During that period, Henn was publicly referred to as officer in charge. 
When his official elevation was announced by U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric in July 2005, Henn was said to have been a veteran of The German Police Service. Few details of Henn's past prior to joining the United Nations were offered. Some 14 years of law enforcement experience remained unaccounted for. In every instance, records show that each of Henn's five predecessors over the last 20 years, have provided detailed information on their professional and academic background prior to their arrival at the United Nations. 
Henn's current boss, David Veness, under secretary-general for safety and security affairs, is a 30-year veteran of the London Metropolitan Police (Scotland Yard) and a Cambridge graduate. 
His disclosure runs two pages. Henn's runs less than two paragraphs. The chief has steadfastly refused to match any of his predecessors' or even his own boss's disclosures. This comes as U.N. secretary-general Ban Ki-moon publicly pledged to run a more transparent administration than his predecessor, Kofi Annan. More curious is Bruno Henn's repeated reference to having served with The German Police Service. 
Extensive investigations, which included interviews, cannot find any evidence that such a police service currently exists or ever did. German diplomatic sources tell NewsMax they have never heard of such an entity, nor did they have any indication that such an organization ever existed. 
Two employees at the German U.N. mission in New York City also tell NewsMax they also know of no such body. However, the two mission employees, who hail from eastern Germany, did say the notorious East German secret police known as Stasi, was often unofficially referred to as The German Police Service. The United Nations continued to refuse to clarify the deepening mystery, insisting that Henn did indeed work for The German Police Service, despite official German denials that such a body ever existed. 
Former U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric when told of the discrepancies in his official announcement of Henn's elevation had no comment. 
Even the U.N.'s recently released telephone book has been a source of controversy regarding Bruno Henn. The directory lists his office as room 110-A in the Conference Room building. 
A quick visit to the location only revealed the security department's assignment desk, but no Bruno. 
So where is the mysterious Henn? 
One security officer replied, up there on Cloud 9. 
But where is cloud 9? 
Some legwork tracked down Cloud 9 to a second, unlisted office on the 7th floor of the 38-story Secretariat tower. 
There, in room 700, Henn spends most of his time behind an electronically sealed suite of offices, rarely frequented by few outside the security service. 
Last Tuesday, U.N. spokesman Farhan Haq emailed an update stating that Bruno Henn worked for the German Landespolizei. Research on the latest pronouncement only showed that the Landespolizei is no more than a euphemism to cover the 16 various semi-independent provincial police forces within the German Federal Republic. 
It is a German language term, not a formal law enforcement/security organization. 
The U.N. ignored several follow-up queries to identify which police body Henn worked for, his dates of employment and his rank. 
Henn's former boss, Michael McCann did not respond to requests about Henn's background, nor why he was originally chosen to come to the New York City headquarters. The U.S.-U.N. mission refused comment on the silence regarding the U.N. chief's refusal to detail his background. One U.S. source told NewsMax that Washington is convinced that it does not have a full picture of what is going on inside U.N. Security.