Superbowl XL - What is Canada doing to protect it?

Admittedly, every large gathering of US citizens is a potential target for a terrorist attack. And every Superbowl since 9/11 has had the potential to be a target due to the world-wide spotlight and the cultural significance of a uniquely American spectacle.

However, what makes this year's Superbowl in Detroit different is its location. The venue, Ford Field, is located less than 7,000 ft from Canada. Another venue, the Expo Center, is right on the water, less than 2,000 feet from the Canadian side. It will be hosting a 5-day event for children called "The NFL Experience".

HERE'S WHAT SCARES ME: This time terrorists could launch several different kinds of attacks from outside the country. No more need to sneak across the border. In my opinion, that is something that we should be very concerned about.

We should remember that some of the 9/11 attackers entered the US from Canada in the preceding days. Another potential attack was, by a stroke of luck, intercepted at a border crossing near Seattle. Canada is known for its relaxed immigration policy. The Canadian government seems to be continuing to operate with a pre 9/11 mentality. Even their border agents have held repeated strikes because they are not allowed to carry firearms. http://www.wxyz.com/wxyz/nw_local_news/article/0,2132,WXYZ_15924_4228631,00.html

Both Toronto and Montreal (not to mention metro Detroit) have very sizable Muslim and Middle eastern populations. Thousands are expected to visit Windsor and Detroit from these cities during the Superbowl.

Add to this the timing of BinLaden's latest audiotape. Even some of his statements indicate that they have been patiently awaiting the right time to strike and soon this will take place in our "heartland".

A simple search of this website reveals some patterns of possible former attempts that were thwarted. Like the DC to Houston flight (CO 1519) that was cancelled at the last minute during the 2004 Superbowl due to a specific terror threat. http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1069659/posts

On Oct 2, 2005 a student at Oklahoma University reportedly blew himself up outside a packed stadium of 84,000. The act was officially ruled a suicide even though he had been involved at a local Mosque (one that had ties to the 9/11 terrorists) Even his roommate was a Pakistani that had a plane ticket to Algeria. http://tapscottscopydesk.blogspot.com/2006/01/from-ou-to-algeria-was-suicide-bomber.html

Then on Dec 23 three Algerians were arrested in Italy and it was reported that plans were uncovered to blowup US stadiums among other targets. http://www.turkishpress.com/news.asp?id=93048 Coincidence? Or did the FBI play dumb in order to get to this Algerian group?

So back to my original point: Are we sure that Canada is on top of this potential threat? What about Canadian airspace? A plane loaded with explosives could reach Ford Field within 3-5 seconds of entering US airspace. Shoulder-launched grenades could easily reach the Expo Center with accuracy. An attack by boat is also possible. And what about the Ambassador bridge and the Detroit/Windsor Tunnel? I believe that both of these are vulnerable to attack without the need to pass through US Customs. Windsor hotels and Casinos will be packed with US visitors as well. I think these are enough examples to make it clear that we are depending on our good neighbor to the north to help protect us this time. Is our trust well-placed? I have my doubts.

Well, he looked like a troller at first, I'll agree, but he has reposted, and does make some interesting, if a bit overalarming, points.

The Canadians have done little to increase security along our border since 9/11, and their general feeling could be that they are not concerned because they don't feel threatend.

Of course, I believe the border we should be keeping the closest eye on is the southern one. We have already had a plethora of reports of persons of arabic decent coming over from there.

Either way, we can't just stop our lives because a bunch of Islamofacists have it in for us. The minute we start changing our everday life here in the U.S. is the minute the terrorists have won, IMO. They have been, will be, and are currently being dealt with throughout the world quite effectively by a myriad of agencies in many countries. Their ability to operate out of the safe havens of the Middle East is continually diminishing, and will get worse with time and any more attacks.

If I posted this in the wrong way or section I apologize for that. I am new here. I don't know what "zotted" means, but it doesn't sound good. :-)

If this should be moved to another area please advise. I just posted it because I couldn't find any articles discussing this. I think it is worth thinking about at least.

Nah, I was out of line ... sorry for jumping to an erroneous conclusion about your post .. you raise some good points ... just a bit on the alarmist side for me.

I expect that it doesn't matter what they do or don't do north of the border ... everything that can be done about securing the Super Bowl is getting done ... but nothing is fool proof when you're dealing with people looking for 72 virgins.

I stand corrected. Thanks recce guy. I didn't take the time to check that out. I was just remembering that being reported in the months following 9/11. You're right. That was later shown to be not accurate. But I double-checked about Mokhtar Haouari, who tried crossing into the US from Canada with 130 lbs of explosives with the intent on detonating them at LAX and that checks out. http://archives.cnn.com/2001/LAW/07/05/millennium.plot.trial/

The point was not to blame Canada, but simply point out that at least in one case that we know of (I mistakenly thought two) terrorists have attempted to attack the US via Canada.

I lived there for four years. I was actually living there during 9/11. Canadians were wonderful in their show of true sympathy and support during those days. But very soon afterward (within days) several newspaper editorials began with the "US made their bed" garbage. Radio personalities followed suit. And soon I noticed an air of a general feeling of "it's not our problem, we don't need to worry about being attacked." I guess its hard to blame them. Afterall, they haven't been attacked. We have and how many of us really believe that it will happen again?

I found the following on the Canadian Security Intelligence Service website: http://www.csis-scrs.gc.ca/en/priorities/terrorism.asp

"Terrorism
Many Canadians may be surprised to learn that, with the exception of the United States, there are more terrorist groups active in Canada today than in any other country in the world. Their presence can be attributed to Canada’s proximity to the United States, one of the world’s pre-eminent terrorist targets, but also to the fact that Canada is an attractive place to live and do business because of its openness, and its respect for human rights and freedoms. With so many terrorist groups in Canada, people might wonder why the media are not reporting the occurrence of serious violence in Canada on a regular basis. While some Canadians have been victims of large-scale terrorist attacks—most notably in the 1985 bombing of an Air India flight from Toronto and the 2001 destruction of New York’s twin towers—Canada, as a country, has not often been targeted specifically for attack. For this reason, many people have come to equate terrorism with the violence and tragic events that occur in foreign countries.

The most visible aspect of terrorist activity is physical violence; however, the absence of violence here at home does not mean the absence of terrorist activity. Most activities in Canada support actions elsewhere linked to homeland conflicts, and are relatively subtle in nature. These activities include:

providing a convenient base for terrorist supporters and operatives;
fundraising;
lobbying through front organizations;
propagating hate and ideologies that incite and perpetuate violence;
recruiting fighters for wars and conflicts abroad;
procuring weapons and materiel;
coercing and manipulating immigrant communities;
facilitating transit to and from the United States and other countries; and
other illegal activities "

I probably was guilty of Canada-bashing in my initial post. That's not helpful. I do have my doubts (more so after witnessing the aftermath of Katrina) that the US govt and Canadian govt are really adequately prepared (in a coordinated way)to thwart an attack of the Superbowl. I hope I'm wrong but I see this as a unique challenge that hasn't yet been faced.

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