Posted on 07/08/2006 1:46:55 PM PDT by SleekMaid
Federal law enforcement officials tell ABC News a plot designed to use 15 to 20 suicide bombers on one commuter train as close to Sept. 11 as possible was well underway.
The specific target was the PATH commuter trains that run in a tunnel under the Hudson River into New York City.
"This is a plot that would have involved martyrdom, explosives and certain of the tubes that connect New Jersey with lower Manhattan," said Mark Mershon, Assistant Director-in-Charge of the FBI New York Field Office. "We're not discussing the modality behind, beyond that."
But law enforcement officials say the plotters had already accessed detailed blueprints and drawings of the PATH tunnels, available on the internet.
And like the London bombers, the plan was to load backpacks with explosives.
All 15 to 20 bombers were to board one car and detonate when the train was under the river, according to officials.
"There's no question that they are vulnerable. With the right amount of explosives, the tunnel could be compromised," said Gerry Hauer, former Director of New York City's Office of Emergency Management and now an ABC News consultant.
The FBI identified the ringleader as 32-year-old Assem Hammoud of Lebanon.
Lebanese officials arrested him in April at the request of the FBI, and he reportedly has now admitted he was about to go to Pakistan for training at an al Qaeda camp. "We know that he has acknowledged pledging a bayat or allegiance to Osama bin Laden, and he proclaims himself to be a member of al Qaeda," said Mershon.
Security was stepped up today at the PATH tunnels.
Officials said today two other alleged plotters had also been arrested, but at least five of them remain at large.
"This shows we are able to disrupt terror plots such as this," said New York City Police Commissioner Ray Kelly. "Secondly, it shows that New York remains in the terrorists' cross hairs."
Officials say the plot was uncovered more than a year ago by U.S. and Canadian intelligence agents watching a jihadist internet chat room.
Officials say the suspects communicated freely, thinking that no one could track them.
Similar chat rooms were used by the alleged terrorists arrested recently in Toronto and Miami.
"The chat rooms have literally exploded since 9/ll because we are now right in the midst of electronic jihad," said Jack Cloonan, former senior agent on the FBI's bin Laden squad in New York and now an ABC News consultant.
Officials say none of the plotters was in the United States but that several of them were nearby in Canada. Others had planned to travel to New York from Saudi Arabia.
Officials say even after their leader was arrested in April, the plotters continued to make plans, and officials say they can't be sure the plan is fully stopped, even now.
Welcome to FR. We have some great FReepers in the NYC area. And we lost some great ones on 9/11.
It's beginning to look as if the only way to deal with this is going to be mass deportations and the rounding up of all Muslims as we did to the Japanese in WWII. Sooner or later one of these groups is going to pull off something really big and those of us who are still around are going to be really, really pissed off. At that point, it would not be an understatement to say that putting all the Muzzies in detention centers would be for their own protection.
"Next time I see 15 or 20 Middle Easterns boarding a PATH car (and the cars aren't that big) with backpacks, I'll take the next train.
"This plot sounds a bit half-baked, to me.
I would think that the Port Authority police officers standing around near the turnstiles watching those entering would notice them. They're there for a reason.
What a good question.
"...Some of us make their humiliation a part of daily routine"
Thank you.
I grew up in Jersey City and Union City, and used to take the Path train all the time, too. Although I've lived in Los Angeles, now, for half my life, this news also gave me the chills.
Thanks for the welcome.
Instead of the PATH, I can always take the ferry into NYC. But I usually don't because path is 1.50 versus 6.00 for the ferry. It adds up.
Also my condo is almost sold and I really have nothing to keep me in New York area now. Boyfriend and I broke up last month and with my job I can work almost anywhere.
I'm almost tempted to move home (Its much more conservative and has better laid back quality of life) Additionally my grandmother already heard about this news and doesn't want me in NYC any longer. It's very cute.
But Im a person who hates to be motivated by fear and although Im comforted that this potential attack seems mostly foiled, Im still kind of disturbed by it.
They're doing great work tracking these fiends online, but Im worried about the ones falling through the cracks offline.
And that reason would be to collect a pension. If you do not take your individual security seriously, understand that the Port Authority and TSA will not even send a note to your survivors. The coroner will provide a bag and a tag, and a chilled environment for your remains. Many Americans whine about profiling. Failure to remain vigilant carries consequences.
Interesting. Hudson Tubes is what the subway trains between New Jersey and New York were called until some time in the early 1960's when the PATH acronym was adopted. Are they going back to using the original name and dumping PATH?
And with Mayor Blumberg saying that he will NOT enforce immigration laws, expect more islamofacist illegals to flood NYC where they can openly carry out their dibolical plans with impunity courtesy of politically correct US politicans.
BTW, if memory serves, PATH stands for Port Authority Trans Hudson.
Huge Muslim population commuting in from Jersey City to NYC so they wouldn't raise any eyebrows boarding the PATH with backpacks in large numbers.
Apparently security has been incredibly beefed up and I hope they keep it that way for long time.
I don't want to go too far imagining the horror they were plotting, but I would guess that some would've been coming from one side (NY) and some from (NJ) and be divided up in different cars.
Generally when I take the PATH in morning there's 6-8 train cars connected. (Someone please correct me if Im wrong)
Too awful to think about. Ive been stuck in the PATH a couple times over the last several years. Not good.
"And that reason would be to collect a pension. If you do not take your individual security seriously, understand that the Port Authority and TSA will not even send a note to your survivors.
Well, at my station, they have a pair of young, fit, alert Port Authority policemen looking intently at the those entering. They didn't send the timeservers out for this duty, nor would they if they had this kind of info.
Pause a moment and take the following test:
In 1979, the U.S. embassy in Iran was taken over by:
(a) Norwegians from Ballard;
(b) Elvis;
(c) A tour bus full of 80-year-old women
(d) Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40.
In 1983, the U.S. Marine barracks in Beirut was blown up by:
(a) A pizza delivery boy;
(b) Crazed feminists screeching that being able to throw a grenade
beyond its own burst radius was an unfair and sexist requirement
in basic training;
(c) Geraldo Rivera making up for a slow news day
(d) Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40.
In 1988, Pan Am Flight 103 was bombed by:
(a) Luca Brazzi, for not being given a part in "Godfather 2;"
(b) The Tooth Fairy;
(c) Butch and Sundance who had a few sticks of dynamite left over
from the train thing
(d) Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40.
In 1998, the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania were bombed by:
(a) Mr. Rogers;
(b) Hillary, to distract attention from Wee Willie's women problems;
(c) the WWF, to promote its next villain: "Mustapha the Merciless;"
(d) Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40.
October 12, 2000, 17 US sailors lost their lives on the USS Cole and this was done by:
a) That Purple Teletubbie
b) Gary Condit
c) LA Crips street gang
d) Muslim extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40
December 2000 a person tries to light a shoe bomb on a commercial jetliner and this was done by:
a) Mother Theresa
b) an Italian guy from New York City named "Giacomo"
c) hard working Hispanic farm workers
d) Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40
On 9/11/01, four airliners were hijacked and destroyed by:
(a) Bugs Bunny,
(b) the Supreme Court of Florida trying to outdo their attempted
hijacking of the 2000 Presidential election;
(c) Mr. Bean
(d) Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40.
Yes you'll probably make less money. But on the positive side you won't be a sitting duck on a massive target every day of your life.
All in all I think the benefits outway the drawbacks.
L
Or Gore.
Or Gore.
Or Gore.
Or Gore.
Port Authority Trans Hudson (PATH) trains had their downtown terminus in a sub level of the Trade Center. People died there. If they pulled this off they would have likely gotten some folks who made it out the first time in 93, then again in 01.
Colorado has alot of hiding places:-)
Didn't Kerry say in 2004..that we need to get back to where terrorism is a "nuisance"??? Was that the term he used?
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