In Daegu, South Korea one deranged individual-armed only with a milk carton filled with flammable liquids like nitroglycerin and a few matches-was able to slaughter hundreds of innocent, helpless individuals.
So the likelihood that a pre-existing, intricately structured terrorist organization would be able to replicate that sort of carnage-and possibly even eclipse it in terms of body count-is great, unfortunately.
The subway is the best avenue to instill fear and terror-without expending too many resources-if you're an Islamic fanatic.
It's self-contained, underground entity, which holds thousands of people at any given time-and at rush hour, as during this attack, hundreds of thousands-and by its very nature facilitates whatever implement of death chosen by the murderers, e.g. asphyxiating smoke, fire, deadly chemical aerosols or biological contagions, etc...
There was an attempt to detonate multiple bombs at Union St.-on the R line, which is my subway line-back in 1997.
The only thing that prevented this plot from coming off-and subsequently killing hundreds of commuters-was the fact that one of the conspirators had second thoughts, and decided to tip off the NYPD.
I think that the lesson here-aside from learning that you can't appease someone who is intent upon your destruction-is that terrorists always strike at the most vulnerable point.
Excellent information. Those of us in the 'burbs are definitely looking at things differently from city-dwellers.
BTW: Do you take a bus to 69th or 59th or do you actually hoof it from Dyker Heights. Nice neighborhood, but their is no subway service.
Perhaps now Britain will reconsider the ease with which they grant student visas to Muslims from any country. They can move around in Great Britain at will, and don't even have to prove they are "students."
We learned our lessons on 9/11...