FBI disrupts New York City tunnel plot

It is nice that terrorists are so accomdating as to use internet chat
rooms.

I wonder however, if the terrorists might not also learn to bait
authorities
by planting false plots or information. The technique worked leading
up to the invasion of Iraq, the US and British intelligent services
were
running circles around themselves and ended up believing some false
information. The Nigerian yellow cake story is an example. Who planted
that? Was is a pure scam operation of somebody who wanted to
sell the paper work? Or did some unfriendly (Russian, Chinese)
intelligence agency
set the US up? If so, it worked. However, Nigerian internet scam
attempts
hit us daily and we don't bite.

The other danger is that the Government needs "good news stories"
and so the importance of some arrests might be blown out of
proportion. The chat room part of the story does not indicate
a competent group. However, some of the pilot training stories
leading up to 9/11 looked strange. They did not cover their tracks
well.

Whatever, even if it was half-serious, stopping them shows that
surveillence is working better.



******

FBI disrupts New York City tunnel plot
By MARK SHERMAN, Associated Press Writer 8 minutes ago

WASHINGTON - Authorities have disrupted planning by foreign terrorists
for an attack on New York City tunnels, two law enforcement officials
said Friday.

FBI agents monitoring Internet chat rooms used by extremists learned in
recent months of the plot to strike a blow at the city's economy by
destroying vital transportation networks, one official said.

Lebanese authorities, acting on a U.S. request, have arrested one of
the alleged plotters, identified as Amir Andalousli, the other official
said. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because the
investigation is still under way.

Sen. Charles Schumer (news, bio, voting record), D-N.Y., said, "This is
one instance where intelligence was on top of its game and discovered
the plot when it was just in the talking phase."

The planning for the tunnel attacks was first reported by the New York
Daily News in its Friday editions, the first anniversary of the attacks
on the London transportation system that killed 52 people.

The planning was not far along, one U.S. official said, but authorities
"take aspirations of that sort seriously."

"At this time we have no indication of any imminent threat to the New
York transportation system, or anywhere else in the U.S.," Richard
Kolko, Washington-based FBI special agent, said in a statement to
Associated Press Radio.

Last month, authorities announced the arrests of seven men in Miami and
Atlanta in the early stages of a plot to blow up the Sears Tower and
other buildings in the United States. That plan was described by deputy
FBI director John Pistole at the time as aspirational, rather than
operational.

Rep. Peter King (news, bio, voting record), R-N.Y., said that federal
law enforcement and New York police have been monitoring a plot to
attack New York's mass transit system for at least eight months.

"There was nothing imminent, but it was being monitored for long period
of time," said King, who said he has received regular intelligence
briefings on the alleged plot as chairman of the House Homeland
Security Committee.

King said he had been unable to publicly disclose the plot because to
do so would risk the investigation.

"This is ongoing, that's why I've said nothing about it until now,"
King said. "It would have been better if this had not been disclosed."

The Daily News reported that the plotters wanted to blow up the Holland
Tunnel, the southernmost link between Manhattan and New Jersey, in the
hopes of flooding New York's financial district. The desired effect
would be akin to the flooding that ravaged New Orleans in the wake of
Hurricane Katrina, the newspaper said.

A government official with knowledge of the investigation said while
the alleged plot did focus on New York's transportation system, it did
not target the Holland Tunnel. The official, who spoke on condition of
anonymity because the case is ongoing, would give no further details
about the intended targets.

It's unlikely that any plan to flood the financial district would work
because it is above the level of the Hudson River.

.

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