http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/2011/05/25/2011-05-25_after_osama_b in_ladens_death_terrorists_still_targeting_mass_transit_systems_for.html
After Osama Bin Laden's death, terrorists still targeting mass transit systems for attacks: expert By Joseph Straw <http://www.nydailynews.com/authors/Joseph%20Straw> DAILY NEWS WASHINGTON BUREAU Originally Published:Wednesday, May 25th 2011, 8:05 PM Updated: Wednesday, May 25th 2011, 9:14 PM Members of the MTA Police stand watch in Grand Central Station the day after the death of Osama Bin Laden. Craig Warga/News Members of the MTA Police stand watch in Grand Central Station the day after the death of Osama Bin Laden. Take our Poll . WASHINGTON <http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/Washington%2c+DC> - Terrorists still fixate on mass transit, and the trains and ferries thousands of New Yorkers ride each day offer enticing targets, a counterterror veteran warned Congress Wednesday. "They are obsessed with the transportation sector of our infrastructure," Bush homeland security adviser Fran Townsend <http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/Fran+Townsend> told Rep. Pete King (R-L.I.) <http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/Pete+King> , presiding over a House hearing on threats after Osama Bin Laden <http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/Osama+bin+Laden> 's killing. "Trains represent a real opportunity for them, by the way also ferries, and I mention that because the chairman knows ferries are very big in terms of transportation into Manhattan <http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/Manhattan> in the morning," Townsend said. Al Qaeda <http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/Al+Qaeda> favors "soft" targets that can't function under heavy security, and tends "to revert to things that they've done in the past," Townsend said. Al Qaeda and sympathizers have struck commuter trains and buses in London <http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/London+(England)> and Madrid <http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/Madrid> , while in 2006 a Philippine affiliate bombed a ferry in Manila Bay <http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/Manila+Bay> , killing 116 people. Townsend credited the NYPD <http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/New+York+City+Police+Department> with doing a "tremendous" job mounting unannounced patrols in the city's subways to spook plotters. Proposed cuts in federal grants threaten those patrols, NYPD brass told King earlier this month. Intelligence shows Bin Laden was hung up striking the U.S. <http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/United+States> despite dissent in his ranks. With him gone, core Al Qaeda's threat to the U.S. has shrunk, Townsend said. The threat remains, however, from lone wolves like U.S. Army <http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/U.S.+Army> Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan <http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/Nidal+Malik+Hasan> and Times Square <http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/Times+Square> bomber Faisal Shahzad <http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/Faisal+Shahzad> . King agreed on the positive effect of Bin Laden's demise, but warned against funding security cuts. "I believe too many people think that with Bin Laden dead the war on terrorism is over, or terrorists' war on us is over," King said. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ -------------------------- Want to discuss this topic? Head on over to our discussion list, [email protected]. -------------------------- Brooks Isoldi, editor [email protected] http://www.intellnet.org Post message: [email protected] Subscribe: [email protected] Unsubscribe: [email protected] *** FAIR USE NOTICE. This message contains copyrighted material whose use has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. OSINT, as a part of The Intelligence Network, is making it available without profit to OSINT YahooGroups members who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information in their efforts to advance the understanding of intelligence and law enforcement organizations, their activities, methods, techniques, human rights, civil liberties, social justice and other intelligence related issues, for non-profit research and educational purposes only. We believe that this constitutes a 'fair use' of the copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Law. If you wish to use this copyrighted material for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use,' you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtmlYahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/osint/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/osint/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: [email protected] [email protected] <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [email protected] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
