A new security threat has emerged as Washington gears up for an extravaganza to swear in president George Bush for a second term - limousines containing bombs. US intelligence sources admit the fears were partially prompted by a 39-page document seized from al Qaida. The paper details a mechanism for using limousines to deliver bombs equipped with cylinders of a flammable gas, according to Time magazine. Bombs can be concealed in limos because the vehicles "blend in" and "do not require special driving skills", it says.
The paper, titled Rough Presentation for Gas Limo Protection, is thought to have been written by Issa al-Hindi, an al Qaida operative captured in Britain last year. It details how limos can access underground parking structures and "have tinted windows that can hide an improvised explosive device." Although the fast approaching inauguration is not specifically mentioned, it is understood to suggest the deployment of three limos, each carrying 12 or more compressed-gas cylinders to create a "full fuel-air explosion". The cylinders should be painted yellow to falsely "signify toxic gases to spread terror and chaos when emergency and haz-mat teams arrive" it reads. Parts of the document began circulating among US intelligence authorities earlier this month. | And have been trumpeted incessantly on local news for the past two weeks... |
And with hundreds of limos expected to block the capital's streets this week, barriers have reportedly been set up to block any potentially-destructive vehicle.
Completely irrelevant Bush-bashing snipped with extreme prejudice. |