Plaintiffs' Lawyer: WTC 'High-Profile,' Inviting Terror Target
The author of a report that called the World Trade
Center a "most attractive terrorist target" testified
yesterday that executives who ran the building complex
rejected recommendations he made to reduce the
risk of an attack. Edward O'Sullivan was appointed in
1984 by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey
to set up the Office of Special Planning to do a
security assessment of the 16-acre building complex, and
write a report. He said he presented the report in
1985. Its recommendations included closing the 400-slot
public parking garage under the 110-story twin towers
because public parking there was "a definite security
risk." In the negligence suit against the Port
Authority of New York and New Jersey over the 1993 bombing
of the World Trade Center, the plaintiffs' lead
attorney, David J. Dean of Sullivan Papain Block McGrath &
Cannavo, grilled Mr. O'Sullivan to establish that
officials knew that car bombs had become terrorists'
"weapons of choice," that terrorism had "come to New
York" and that the World Trade Center was an
inviting target. When the Port Authority's attorney,
Marc E. Kasowitz of Kasowitz, Benson, Torres &
Friedman, accused Mr. Dean of "mis-stating" a quote
attributed to Mr. O'Sullivan, Mr. Dean appeared
offended. "Please don't say something like that," he
said. Blair C. Fensterstock, who serves as liaison
counsel on all of the civil cases arising out of the
bombing, said he anticipates the plaintiffs will wrap up the
presentation of their case today. - Mark
Fass/Associated Press
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