Author: Associated Press
Publication: IBNLive.com
Date: May 6, 2011
URL: http://ibnlive.in.com/news/qaeda-plotted-911-anniversary-rail-attack-us/151390-2.html
Some of the first information gleaned from
Osama bin Laden's compound indicates al Qaeda considered attacking US trains
on the upcoming anniversary of the September 11 attacks. But counter-terrorism
officials say they believe the planning never got beyond the initial phase
and have no recent intelligence pointing to an active plot for such an attack.
As of February 2010, the terror organization
was considering plans to attack the US on the 10th anniversary of the 9/11
attacks. One idea was to tamper with an unspecified US rail track so that
a train would fall off the track at a valley or a bridge, according to a joint
FBI and Homeland Security bulletin sent to law enforcement officials around
the country on Thursday. The al Qaeda planners noted that if they attacked
a train by tilting it, the plan would only succeed once because the tilting
would be spotted the next time.
The warning, obtained by The Associated Press,
was marked for "official use only."
Information on the train plot appears to be
the first widely circulated intelligence pulled from the raid this week on
bin Laden's secret compound in Pakistan. After killing the terror leader and
four of his associates, Navy SEALs confiscated a treasure trove of computers,
DVDs and documents from the home where US officials believe the al Qaeda chief
had been hiding for up to six years.
Other intelligence information gathered at
the compound represented a terrorist wish list but has revealed no specific
plan so far, a US official said. He said documents indicated a desire to hit
the US with large-scale attacks in major cities and on key dates such as anniversaries
and holidays. But there was no sign those plans were anything more than ambitions.
The US official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss intelligence matters.
Intelligence analysts have been reviewing
and translating the material, looking for information about pending plots
and other terror connections. Even before the raid, intelligence officials
for years have warned that al Qaeda is interested in attacking major US cities
on holidays, anniversaries and other dates that are uniquely American.
"While it is clear that there was some
level of planning for this type of operation in February 2010, we have no
recent information to indicate an active ongoing plot to target transportation
and no information on possible locations or specific targets," the warning
on Thursday said.
The FBI and Homeland Security told local officials
to be on the lookout for clips or spikes missing from train tracks, packages
left on or near the tracks and other indications that a train could be vulnerable.
Homeland Security spokesman Matt Chandler
said, "This alleged al Qaeda plotting is based on initial reporting,
which is often misleading or inaccurate and subject to change." He said
the government has no plans to issue an official terror alert because of it.
An official with the Association of American
Railroads said the organization has received warnings from the federal government
and is sharing the information throughout the railroad network. "We are
always making sure that the system is running as safely and securely as possible,"
the organization's spokeswoman, Patricia Reilly, said.
US officials have disrupted other terror plots
that targeted rails, including a 2009 plan to blow up the New York City subway
system.
The FBI and Homeland Security on Monday warned
law enforcement officials around the country that bin Laden's death could
inspire retaliatory attacks in the US, and terrorists not yet known to the
intelligence community could be operating inside the country. The transportation
sector - including US rails - remain attractive targets for terrorists.