The shooting at the El Al counter in Los Angeles International Airport's Bradley Terminal did not come as a surprise to the security establishment, even if it turns out that the background to the shooting was not terrorism. The scenario that unfolded yesterday at the airport - a gunman suddenly shooting at passengers boarding a flight to Israel - is one of the most practiced by the security forces specializing in airline security.
The high level of security was not necessarily based on pinpoint intelligence. It was enough to hear statements made by al-Qaida spokesmen in recent months and to add them to the date - July 4 - to understand that Israeli facilities overseas, particularly in the U.S., were being targeted.
( Attack on boarding passengers - El Al's most practiced scenario! )