What, me worry?
Kerry has assured me that the threats are overexaggerated.
Posted on 03/12/2004 7:56:00 PM PST by blam
Spanish Rail Attack Serves Notice to U.S.
By CURT ANDERSON, Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON - Despite security upgrades, new surveillance systems and tightened explosives regulations, America remains vulnerable to a terrorist attack like the deadly bombings on Spanish trains, U.S. officials and terrorism experts said Friday.
The simplicity of the timed backpack bombs placed on Spanish commuter trains demonstrates that such an attack can be carried out, they said.
"We can't stop terrorism. All we can do is reduce the risks to levels that people can accept," said Anthony Cordesman, a national security analyst at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington think tank.
Homeland security and law enforcement officials said they have no specific intelligence indicating terrorists are planning a similar attack in the United States. But as recently as Jan. 28, the FBI issued a bulletin to state and local law enforcement officials describing "a continued terrorist interest" in striking American rail systems.
Such an attack, the FBI bulletin said, "could cause substantial loss of life" and have an "impact on public confidence resulting in massive economic loss."
During the Afghanistan war, U.S. forces found al-Qaida photographs of U.S. railroad engines, cars and crossings. Al-Qaida prisoners have told interrogators that terrorists might try to take out bridges, remove sections of track or damage train engines to cause derailments.
"We do know that al-Qaida looks to hit us, hit us hard, and that mass transit is something they've consistently referenced." said Asa Hutchinson, border and transportation security chief at the Homeland Security Department.
The agency issued a new bulletin about railroad threats after the attacks in Spain, urging greater vigilance, especially concerning unattended bags and backpacks. Amtrak increased patrols of its police force and intensified electronic surveillance of bridges and tunnels, spokesman Dan Stessel said.
Since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, freight railroads have implemented numerous new security measures, including increased random inspections, a 24-hour operations center to coordinate security and increased tracking of trains carrying hazardous materials and munitions.
Yet all the extra bulletins and security measures would probably not stop a determined terrorist armed with a small but powerful bomb, experts said. There is far less examination of baggage on the nation's passenger rails than on aircraft and more frequent stops where passengers can get on and off with little notice.
"Look at the size of the backpacks people carry around," said Greg Baur, former director of the International Association of Bomb Technicians and Investigators.
Al-Qaida's signature tactic of near-simultaneous attacks could be copied by others, Baur said. "That's just timers," he said.
The government has taken steps to reduce the availability of high explosives. Prior to May 24, 2003, anyone could purchase explosives from a dealer without a background check or permit, provided the buyer resided in the same state.
Now, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is enforcing a new law that requires detailed background checks of up to 90 days for explosives purchasers. The ATF also investigates every reported theft of explosives, and there are new rules regarding storage and security.
"It is extremely difficult now to get your hands on explosives. Is it impossible? Nothing is impossible. But it's certainly much more difficult," said Audrey Stucko, ATF Safe Explosives Act implementation director.
That might stop terrorists from easily getting dynamite, TNT or other commercial explosives used in mining, construction, farming and the like. But the regulations do not cover other common items that can be used to make bombs.
The FBI has issued several warnings since the Sept. 11 attacks about the possibility al-Qaida might mount attacks using improvised devices. Although they are less powerful than the high-end kind, they are capable of causing a great deal of damage in an enclosed area such as a train car, experts said.
"An open society is just that, and it is a vulnerable society as well," Cordesman said. "There are going to be these cases where the terrorists succeed."
What, me worry?
Kerry has assured me that the threats are overexaggerated.
Kerry, especially, needs to think before he opens his mouth.
In the UK and France, a backpack without an owner raises alarms and gets a lot of attention fast; they're presumed to be bombs and taken away and blown up. Hopefully that's happening in US transit systems too - not so sure, though.
It's a little surprising Spain hasn't been doing that with their history of Basque resistance troubles. But this doesn't exactly fit the Basque M.O.
Vigilence is the theme of the day . .
What "ground support team"?
Right up to 9/11 a nearby predominantly Moslem community had 75 taxicabs regularly parked on the public streets in the area. They spilled over into our neighborhood causing all sorts of problems.
As of the afternoon of 9/11 we had only 15 taxicabs. The other 60 never returned. These were the same guys who ran pacifistic Pakistani people out of several of the local mosques and also assisted the guy who shot those folks at the CIA entrance, Mr. Kansi.
It was noted early on that the plane that hit the Pentagon didn't actually hit the Pentagon until after it had hit the ground. This slowed it down considerably and the result was much less damage than would have otherwise been the case.
So, why did the plane miss the target? The only logical conclusion is that the location of the Pentagon had been mis-determined earlier, maybe only moments before, by someone parked SW of Route 110 using a GPS. This would be about 135 yards off center (according to the Freeper who noticed the error.) The folks on the ground provided continual guidance to the folks in the plane to assist them in selecting from among their targets. Recall that one plane that was supposed to come down in the Washington DC area actually came down in Pennsylvania. We don't know exactly what their target was, but at somepoint that plane would have come within range of some sort of communications device used by the AlQaida ground support team, probably a cellphone.
In answer to your second question which you are just now asking, I believe the identities of the 60+ individuals who took off in those taxicabs is known. They never came back. Today, after the Madrid bombing, I counted the taxis down there at 8 AM (which is slow taxi time on Saturday morning in the DC area). There were 13. This is up from the 11 we had for the last year.
Are they coming back? Probably not to here. In fact, one of the guys just recently convicted in the "paint ball" incident was visiting that neighborhood when he was taken down by lebenteenzillion federales, state police and Fairfax cops. He was turned in by the neighbors, who, although Moslem, are mostly Kurdish these days.
It was just something I noticed about that van they found. Obviously they'd used a van so they could pick up their guys who'd left the bombs on the traincars.
This was no suicide mission. Those fellows were doing this for pay, not a trip to Islamofascist satori.
Neither
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