Posted on 09/03/2011 6:25:03 PM PDT by Petruchio
The FBI and Homeland Security have issued a nationwide warning about al-Qaida threats to small airplanes, just days before the anniversary of the 2001 terrorist attacks.
Authorities say there is no specific or credible terrorist threat for the 10-year anniversary of the attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon. But they have stepped up security nationwide as a precaution.
According to a five-page law enforcement bulletin issued Friday, as recently as early this year, al-Qaida was considering ways to attack airplanes.
The alert, issued ahead of the summer's last busy travel weekend, said terrorists have considered renting private planes and loading them with explosives.
"Al-Qaida and its affiliates have maintained an interest in obtaining aviation training, particularly on small aircraft, and in recruiting Western individuals for training in Europe or the United States, although we do not have current, credible information or intelligence of an imminent attack being planned," according to the bulletin obtained by The Associated Press.
The bulletin also says al-Qaida would like to use sympathetic Westerners to get flight training, then get them to become flight instructors.
Matthew Chandler, a spokesman for the Department of Homeland Security, described the bulletin as routine.
"We shared this information with our partners to highlight the need for continued awareness and vigilance," he said.
Aviation security is much tighter than it was a decade ago, but al-Qaida remains keenly interested in launching attacks on airplanes, believing large attacks with high body counts are more likely to grab headlines.
Threats to small airplanes are nothing new. After the 2001 attacks, the government grounded thousands of crop dusters amid fears the planes could be used in an attack.
[snip]
(Excerpt) Read more at boston.com ...
Here we go again. Let’s just overreact and stir panic, in order to exert a little more unnecessary governmental authority. Small aircraft are NOT a decent weapon platform.
No need to overreact here. Just use ‘PROFILING’ and most of this problem will be solved.
Darn, I forgot, that is not the liberal progressive PC way, to use common sense and PROFILE.
Shame on me.
Great,,,, so of course, the DC Stasi will need full accounting for the movements, maintenence, and daily cleaning of all Piper cubs. Also,,, there will be a mandated paint scheme that will be color coded by the state you are registered in. Of course, the pilot will have to pass a TSA check before walking out to his own Cub. Keys must be left with local law enforcement.
For reasons of sensitivity, planes owned by muslims and illegal mexicans will be exempt. If it saves one childs life,,it’s worth it. 9/11 9/11 9/11 and oh yeah,,,, 9/11.
I miss anything?
They'd carry a dirty bomb just fine.
This is simply class-warfare stuff —”Airplane owners are ‘rich’ —if we clamp down on them, all the envious ones will like us for it...”
Very cynical.
Creating an emergency.
“An emergency provides you an opportunity to get things done that you ordinarily cannot...Never let a crisis go to waste...”
Why would ANYONE believe a claim of a crisis from these seething LIARS?
Muslim gay man with a Connecticut SSN...
“...They’d carry a dirty bomb just fine...”
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So would a honda or a toyota; what’s your point?
Maybe, just maybe, we should be careful about YOUNG MUSLIM MEN flying airplanes...not the planes themselves.
I am amazed how the obvious answer seems to elude liberals.
The problem isn’t the planes, it is the terrorists.
Our DC controllers have wanted to kill general aviation for years. Way to much freedom in allowing proletariats to fly? Come on.
In general, the WOT should be focused on Imams.
This story gets recycled every anniversary.
Its old news.
We know the terrorists want to use planes. Got it.
I am curious as to why you think they would not be a good delivery system. It is because they cannot carry a large enough payload?
I always thought a GA plane would be good for detonating a nuke, but again, so wouldn’t an elevator going up to the 80th floor somewhere.
But the plane 'threat' has always been there.
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Assault rifles,
assault milk,
assault planes,
assault farms,
assault guitars,
assault pets (San Francisco)
assault bags (San Francisco)
I think your plane needs a ‘14’ on it- does it depict the aircraft of Hans Marseille-?!
Nice little ME-109.. Very cool plane in the early part of the war. Till it met a few JUGS,MUSTANGS,SPITS and a few HURRICANES.
A crop duster or two, their spray tanks filled with gasoline, would kill a hell of a lot of people if they were crashed into a stadium full of people.
If I’m not mistaken it was commercial aviation, i.e. commercial airliners that were involved in 9/11 - what happened? They grounded GA for months but permitted commercial to keep flying.
Please don’t play into FedGov™ hands. As a general aviation enthusiast I find Freepers actually supporting their blatant power grab on Free Republic too much to take!!!!!
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