Posted on 05/26/2002 3:44:20 AM PDT by colette_g
FBI Warns About Small Planes
Sun May 26, 4:29 AM ET
WASHINGTON (AP) - The FBI (news - web sites) has issued a fresh warning that terrorists may be interested in using small planes to carry out suicide attacks.
FBI supervisory special agent Steven Berry said Saturday the agency had issued an "intelligence update" to law enforcement regarding small planes but he declined to be more specific.
The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association said on its Web site the alert was issued because the FBI "has received information indicating that terrorists may still be interested in using small general aviation aircraft for suicide attacks in the United States."
"Pilots are strongly encouraged to remain alert for suspicious activities anytime they are flying, or at an airport just before or after a flight," the association said. "Individuals observing anything suspicious should report it to the local FBI or law enforcement officials."
Andy Cebula, the association's senior vice president for government and technical affairs, said that "while the alert is not specific, it is important that everyone in the general aviation community serve as the eyes and ears for law enforcement, watching suspicious activity and persons."
Berry said the FBI notice was sent to law enforcement officials late in the week. "There's a lot of information that continues to come in from a variety of different sources, and we inform law enforcement or update them, in this case, of any additional information that might be useful in their efforts," he said.
The government has issued a number of alerts about possible threats in the past week, including warnings about possible terrorist activity directed at rail lines, nuclear plants and New York landmarks.
Beware of Greeks bearing gifts
Seriously....perhaps the warnings seem too frequent & too vague, but I would suspect that for many in the masses, the warnings are the only links to the very real danger we face. How quickly we forget! The HBO Special should be required viewing for America this evening.
Which has me scratching my head over something. I once rented a plane for a short trip in the South, won't say where, and used an airway that passed directly over two nuclear power plants and only a couple of miles from a uranium processing facility. I was there last month and the airway was not rerouted and those plants were still marked on the charts as VFR waypoints, which makes me wonder how serious they are about security. Oh well, I suppose it's easier to frisk an 80-year-old in a wheelchair than to redraw an airway.
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