http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1047753/posts "Report: Al Qaeda Targeting Oceanliners"
FoxNews ^ | Dec. 28, 2003 | FoxNews
Posted on 12/28/2003 12:03:05 PM PST by FairOpinion
ARTICLE SNIPPET: "Al Qaeda (search) has turned its terror sights to the sea, targeting luxury cruise liners in a major expansion of its "jihad (search)" against Western interests.
And top of the terrornetwork's list of ocean-bound targets is the new $1.3 billion British ship Queen Mary 2 (search).
The threat to QM2 comes as a British MP revealed yesterday that two Islamic homicide pilots had been arrested in Saudi Arabia in the past two weeks. They allegedly were preparing to crash a pair of light aircraft into a packed British Airways passenger jet on takeoff.
And Italy's Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi said terrorists had planned to attack the Vatican with a hijacked plane on Christmas Day.
QM2 owner Cunard confirmed it had received a terrorist threat against its maiden voyage in the new year. Concerns Al Qaeda had opened up a new front in its terror campaign emerged when a US spy plane discovered scores of acoustic sea mines had disappeared from a high-security naval base in North Korea.
US intelligence services believe the mines may be on board an armada of 28 terror ships that Osama bin Laden's organisation has assembled in the past year.
The mines are fitted with homing devices that allow them to zero-in on massive targets such as the 150,000-tonne QM2.
A spokesman for Cunard insisted last night the liner had been safeguarded against such attacks.
"We have received reports of a threat," he said. "While we cannot discuss its nature, we are fully satisfied with our security precautions.""