Source: Bin Laden had targeted U.S. trains
WASHINGTON
But counterterrorism 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 U.S. on the 10th anniversary of the 9/11
attacks. One idea was to tamper with an unspecified U.S. 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 Thursday. The al-Qaida
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
U.S. officials believe the al-Qaida 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 U.S. official said. He said documents indicated a desire
to hit the U.S. 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 U.S. 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-Qaida is interested in attacking
major U.S. 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 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-Qaida 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 run as safely and
securely as possible," the organization's spokeswoman, Patricia
Reilly, said.
U.S. officials have disrupted other terror plots that targeted
rails, including a 2009 plan to blow up the New York City subway
system.
On Monday the FBI and Homeland Security warned law enforcement
officials around the country that bin Laden's death could inspire
retaliatory attacks in the U.S., and terrorists not yet known to
the intelligence community could be operating inside the country.
The transportation sector -- including U.S. rails -- remain
attractive targets for terrorists.