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| Fears of al-Qaeda WMD attack by plane | |
| 2004-02-01 | |
| Intelligence indicating that al Qaeda terrorists are seeking to release a chemical or biological agent aboard an airliner, or transport a radiological device in cargo, was one of the factors that prompted the cancellation of six international flights scheduled for today and tomorrow. The intelligence on a weapon of mass destruction remains vague, and officials remain concerned about hijackings and other methods. The use of such weapons would be a new tactic. All the canceled flights are overseas flights arriving in the United States, as were the flights by foreign carriers canceled around Christmas. But yesterday, for the first time, a flight by a U.S.-based carrier was canceled. Continental Airlines Flight 17, scheduled to fly today from Glasgow, Scotland, to Los Angeles with a stop in Newark, was canceled because the carrier was "unable to obtain the necessary security clearances from the Department of Homeland Security and their international counterparts," a Continental spokesman said. British Airways canceled Flight 223 from Heathrow Airport in London to Dulles International Airport today and tomorrow, and Flight 207 from Heathrow to Miami today, after the airline was ordered to do so by the British government for "security reasons." A return flight from Dulles to Heathrow, Flight 222, also was canceled today and tomorrow. Flight 223 was canceled several times during the holiday season for security reasons. Air France also cited security as the reason for canceling Flight 26 from Paris to Washington today and tomorrow. The return flight, Flight 27, which would have used the same airplane as Flight 26, also was canceled for both days. In discussions with British, French and American airline officials, U.S. authorities required enhanced tiered security precautions that some airlines could not take. "It became easier to just cancel the flights," an administration official said. Several intelligence officials said yesterday that al Qaeda appears desperate to mount a spectacular attack to show followers, new recruits and financial donors that it remains viable. CIA officials say 75 percent of al Qaeda’s leadership has been killed or captured since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. U.S. intelligence officials say they do not know for certain why al Qaeda may be particularly active at this time. One possible reason, some officials said, is that the five-day Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca, called the hajj, climaxed yesterday. The three-day Eid al-Adha celebration begins today.
The possibilities, as described by three intelligence officials, include releasing an undetectable biological agent, such as smallpox virus or anthrax spores, aboard a plane that passengers would then unknowingly spread; releasing a chemical agent to debilitate the passengers and crew so the plane could be hijacked, and sneaking a radiological device aboard a plane inside a piece of luggage. The vagueness of the threat forced airlines, airports and law enforcement personnel late Friday to consider how to address it. The Department of Homeland Security decided not to deploy special hazardous material units as long as the flights in questions were canceled. Some of the nation’s highest-risk and highest-profile airports have the capability to detect radiological materials, usually through an agreement with local law enforcement personnel who are trained to use such devices, said Carter Morris, vice president of transportation security policy for the American Association of Airport Executives. Morris said radiation detectors have been used on aircraft while passengers were kept on board. Airport officials across the country have discussed how to detect biological agents aboard planes since the SARS outbreak in Asia last year, Morris said, but that threat is more difficult than radiation to address. "It gets very specific by the type of agent," Morris said. Aviation sources said the Transportation Security Administration ordered that the cargo on specific flights be screened before takeoff and after landing. Cargo is considered to be one of the most vulnerable areas of aviation security. Despite the billions of dollars the U.S. government has spent since 9/11 to screen checked luggage for explosives, very little of the cargo carried on passenger planes is physically inspected. A Transportation Department inspector general report in June 2002 found that security for cargo on passenger aircraft is "easily circumvented." Although officials have tightened restrictions requiring carriers to know more about the companies shipping goods on planes, the lack of physical screening led members of Congress such as Rep. Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) to call upon the government to screen cargo similar to the way luggage is screened. Markey’s bill to that effect did not go to a House vote. | |
| Posted by:Dan Darling |
| #4 CNN has more on this including the following which I thought was interesting. Continental Airlines also canceled Flight 1519 from Washington to Houston, Texas, on Sunday because of security concerns, spokesman David Messing said. "We weren't able to obtain the necessary security clearance from the Department of Homeland Security," Messing said. A senior U.S. official said the airlines, not the U.S. government, decided to cancel the flights. "We did not want to cancel" the French and British flights, the official said. "We have been working all week to try and prevent that. Once it gets into the airlines' hands, however, then this is what happens." |
| Posted by: phil_b 2004-2-1 7:13:36 PM |
| #3 just cannot believe they are that stupid and with fixed tendency to try pax planes again Agreed. 10 Jihadi's ready to raise hell with BARs in the Mall of America.... Super Bowl... Super Tuesday, Fargo much more worrisome than trying to take over an aircraft.... |
| Posted by: Shipman 2004-2-1 11:36:36 AM |
| #2 Hey, its Super Bowl Sunday. How appropriate that we have the set-up for a "play action" bomb or flea flicker when least expecting it! I just cannot believe they are that stupid and with fixed tendency to try pax planes again. It could all be a feint to set up a container shipment via sea or one of those semi's they learned to drive. |
| Posted by: Jack is Back! 2004-2-1 7:21:05 AM |
| #1 I thought that the Super Bowl angle was a day early. But I'd still keep an eye out for some jihadi showing the flag. |
| Posted by: Lucky 2004-2-1 2:17:29 AM |