Big Apple Terror? Sources: Al Qaeda Plotting to Attack New York City Corporations

ABCNews in Washington DC ^ | 7/31/04 | ABCNews in Washington DC

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Big Apple Terror?

Sources: Al Qaeda Plotting to Attack New York City Corporations

ABCNEWS.com

N E W  Y O R K, July 31, 2004? ABC News has learned that federal and New York City officials have received credible intelligence that al Qaeda has been plotting to carry out suicide attacks on corporations based in the city.

Sources at several law enforcement agencies tell ABC News that an "overseas source" has provided the information about the threat to New York and that it is more significant than the usual "chatter" intercepted from likely terrorists that has prompted warnings in the past.

Officials from dozens of local and federal agencies met into the night Friday and again this morning.

"Intelligence reporting indicates that al Qaeda continues to target for attack commercial and financial institutions, as well as international organizations, inside the United States," the New York City Police Department said in a statement released today on the "ongoing al Qaeda threat."

"The NYPD recommends that corporate and institutional security directors review their protection of HVAC systems, parking installations, and security in general," the statement added. "The alert level for New York City remains unchanged at 'orange' or 'high.'"

Border Worries

Intelligence sources say al Qaeda plans to move non-Arab terrorists across the border with Mexico.

Authorities already have in custody a woman of Pakistani-origin arrested after crossing into Texas. She carried a South African passport with several of the pages torn out, $7,000 in cash and an airplane ticket to New York.

New York is already on heightened alert for the Republican National Convention, which meets at Madison Square Garden in a month and will bring scores of high government officials to town.

The sources tell ABC News that Wall Street firms may be among the targeted U.S. corporations based in New York City. Which corporations or how many may be targeted has not been revealed.

Suicide Truck Bombings

Particularly disturbing to authorities were the intelligence reports that the attack may involve one or more suicide truck bombings, a tactic never seen in the United States, but one widely used by terrorists elsewhere.

"I think they want to try and shake our psyche again," says Jerry Hauer, an ABC News consultant and former director of New York City's Office of Emergency Management. "And I think the easy types of attacks right now are car bombs, truck bombs."

Law enforcement officials acknowledge such bombs are extremely difficult to prevent.

As to the timing of any planned attack, sources say it could take place between now and Election Day in November.

As the government tries to verify the reports of the threat, there are no plans to raise the national threat level, a senior Bush administration official tells ABC News.

ABCNEWS' Pierre Thomas and Bob Jamieson contributed to this report.

[Imagine]

Yes, I can see it now: "Bush wasted all his energy in Iraq and never closed our borders" from the major news media and the democrats.

[Pharmboy]

Call me crazy, but I got one of these

two months ago. I work near 34th and Madison and keep it in my desk.

[Woodman]

I worked on Wall Street for 15+ years and the level of security you are describing was put in place after the 93 WTC bombing. Post 911 there is only on way to get a vehicle close enough to do any damage (no I won't say how) and to get that close you will be stopped and inspected before time. When you get close (but still a little too far to do major damage) every single item on the truck will be scanned.

Now I'm no way saying it is impossible, but it is not as bad as you are making it out to be. Also add to this the "Wall Street" these days is not really necessary to do the Exchange's business and I would think that there are better targets in NYC if you knew what you were after.

[Lori675]

There gonna probably go after the landmark buildings. The 2 buildings that better have heavy security, are the Empire State Building and Chrysler Building.

[sam_paine]

You got that right. Should an event occur there will be immediate calls from the Hillary and others left for us all to "come together and not politicize this". The left and media would immediately set out politicize it - with charges like "all that $ spent and what did it gain us? XXX dead?", and "they are clearly in no better control of the situation than before 9/11", and "the war is here not in Iraq"...

Very prescient! Exactly correct, no doubt....but....hmmmmmmm.....Sunnyvale, I see.

A perfect understanding of the evil dem psyche, plus lives in Californistan.....hmmmm.....please step over here sir, we have a few questions for you!

[bitt]

.

[sam_paine]

Hard to drive trucks into Manhattan Island"

Think Taxi.

Temporary solution: During heightened security alerts (hot-pink or whatever), require all Cabs to have at least two peep at all times.....require an extra driver front seat. Cuts the potential pool of suicide bombers in half. Just brainstormin.....or maybe brainfartin! More COFFEE!

[sam_paine]

A one-day body count in the 50,000 or 100,000 range is probably inexorably in our future, sad to say.

And then what? I've wondered what the response is being planed, and toward whom?

9/11->Afghanistan made sense. But 100k dead, and we do what? Nuke Islamabad? I'm serious, what will we do?

[csvset]

Have you considered a EEBD, (Emergency Escape Breathing Device)?

Here's a link to the manufacturer that supplies the Navy.

Ocenco

Click on the link for the M-20.2

It's good for 15-20 minutes of oxygen at a "work" rate or 32 minutes "at rest". Has a hood that is fire resistant.

[Leatherneck_MT]

And still we have no troops on the border.

This is absolutely assinine

If an attack does come, and we find out that those people crossed the border from Mexico or Canada, then I firmly believe those people who made it possible should be held criminally responsible. Unto the loss of their freedoms in a federal jail.

[bitt]

"WTF??? Has he ever said *why* he refuses intelligence briefings?!"

---

IIRC, this controvery arose after the last security advisory went out, 2 weeks ago?

(remember the one where even Daschle said it was soooo scary and frightening that even HE couldn't see Bush trying to benefit from a posture of scaring the public for political gain?)

Well, the senators and the members of the intelligence committee were getting briefings in Washington on that Friday (where they were all supposed to be WORKING, but not Kerry, of course, he doesn't work for Massachusetts)

Kerry was in New York getting his hair cut for the big Bash on Bush Whoopie Goldberg thing, and said on national TV (CBS?) that he "didn't have time for the briefing"..he ended up getting a special briefing on Sunday morning, thus not enabling another church picture for us.

We never DID hear his reaction from that briefing...

[Osage Orange]

I'm no longer as sure of that as I once was. Kerry's not-quite-spoken promise to "make all this war stuff go away" is very appealing to an ever-growing segment of the electorate. A repeat of the Spanish election debacle is not out of the question.

Unfortunately......I can very easily "see" this very scenario playing out, too.

FRegards,

[Pharmboy]

Thanks for the info...much appreciated, friend.

[Osage Orange]

If Kerry were to be elected, you could bet that the terrorists would strike hard and probably soon after the Inaguaration because they would want to see how he would respond to attacks.

Nope, I disagree. I think if..Kerry is elected, he communicates that he is willing to "talk" with the terrorists via back channels...as long as they don't strike us.

Kerry will reinstate the Clinton-type "foreign policy show".....It will be the Symbolism before Substance crowd, back in "control".

FWIW-

[Osage Orange]

"one or more suicide truck bombings, a tactic never seen in the United States"

Except for the WTC Bombing #1 and the OKC Bombing.

Well...there you go again, trying to insert some truth to a ABC story.

FRegards,

[bitt]

Call me crazy, but the other day I was packing up one of the boys for college (they use plastic bags for luggage LOL), and the large, trash-sized CLEAR plastic bag I was using....well, I popped it over my head to see how big it was over a small sized person -

you can SEE thru it and I imagine there might be many minutes of oxygen available, (closed as tightly as possible to your lower body)(what's the alternative in some situations?)

Leaving it loose, for some access to oxygen, unclosed on the bottom will at least leave you SOME protection from certain toxins, right? Hopefully you would be moving towards shelter/out of range...

a clear plastic trash bag would fit nicely in your briefcase/purse...

Not good how we all have to think about reacting to a situation we can't even IMAGINE...

[Osage Orange]

How can a suicide blow up the entire stock exchange?

IF...somehow they got to the NY Stock Exchange floor...they could stop the market for many, many days...maybe weeks. As the NY Exchange is not electronically traded, yet.

The NASDAQ on the other hand...would possibly be a bit harder to disrupt....as I'm sure there are redundant systems in place.

FRegards,

[ladyjane]

"one or more suicide truck bombings, a tactic never seen in the United States"

Except for the WTC Bombing #1 and the OKC Bombing.

Well...there you go again, trying to insert some truth to a ABC story.

Actually back in the 1920's the Anarchists blew up trucks - okay, horse drawn trucks - in NYC. They blew one up right on Wall Street in front of the House of Morgan.

[NavyCanDo]

"Authorities already have in custody a woman of Pakistani-origin arrested after crossing into Texas. She carried a South African passport with several of the pages torn out, $7,000 in cash and an airplane ticket to New York."

MAKE THIS ONE SING LIKE A BIRD.

[Osage Orange]

.....Americans do not vote for liberals,

Well...geesh, I guess I've been asleep for a few years. What year is it, anyway?