A new state of fear
Anthrax and warnings of more terror send America into higher anxiety
Most security experts agree that the simpler, more conventional threats are the most likely. Machine-gunning shoppers on a crowded street, staging car bombings, even crashing jets, are relatively easy to do and terrifying to the public. The hijackers reportedly also considered attacks on Chicago's Sears Tower, Disney parks, and Minnesota's Mall of America. Of 200 terrorist attacks last year against U.S. targets overseas, all but 21 were bombings, followed by 11 kidnappings and four armed attacks. None involved chemical or biological weapons.
A chemical attack is thought easier to stage than a biological one, and a nuclear attack is believed toughest of all. Easier than constructing a chemical agent is simply attacking an industrial plant or crashing a truckload of toxic material. Attacking a nuclear power plant is another nightmare scenario. Still another worry is that terrorists could hit at other vulnerable points in America's infrastructure--the vast web of computers, communication lines, pipelines, roads, and more that keeps the nation's business humming. And a determined cyberattack could impact key systems ranging from air traffic control to ATM transactions.
Worse, America has never faced an enemy quite like bin Laden's al Qaeda. Its wily operatives have shown an uncanny knack for exploiting America's vulnerabilities while also changing tactics--employing truck bombs in Africa, boat bombs in the Middle East, and kamikaze air attacks in the United States. Equally worrisome, the group has grown skilled at conducting simultaneous operations. Intelligence analysts are now convinced that the September 11 hijackings were part of a larger campaign that included attacks in Europe and the Middle East.
A skilled strategist, bin Laden may well have already plotted his counterattack against America, although targets overseas are easier to hit. "The biggest threat is overseas in Islamic countries, where they've got a presence, a network," says Larry Johnson, a former counterterrorism official. "They're going to go for soft targets in the least defended places--Kentucky Fried Chickens, McDonald's."
With Americans on their guard, though, it may be tougher than ever for al Qaeda's terrorists to strike here at home. Moreover, officials stress that bin Laden's training camps have been destroyed, his operatives seized, and his finances frozen. Similarly, the anthrax scare also should be put in perspective, they say. Until the hijackings, federal officials had dealt with 171 anthrax cases since 1998--all of them hoaxes. Still, that's small comfort to Americans worried about what might be in the morning mail.
OTHER RELATED STORIES
Chemical plants are an all-too-vulnerable target. (Page 31)
What you CAN do to protect yourself and family. (Page 46)
With Nell Boyce, Angie Cannon, Douglas Pasternak, Chitra Ragavan, Kit R. Roane, Linda Robinson, Christopher H. Schmitt, Stacey Schultz, Betsy Streisand and Lisa Griffin
advertisement
