|
Jihadists Threatens Missile Attack Against Jets at JFK Airport
An Internet posting on a Jihadist website written mostly in Arabic has been obtained by NBC News. The site details how to
fire a shoulder-fired missile and how to overcome
security measures.
The Web site with connections to the Iraqi insurgency also posted a
schematic map of JFK International Airport in New York City, along
with a manual on how to use shoulder-fired missiles. showing
potential terrorists how to down civilian airplanes by using the
missiles. The Internet posting also contained a map plotting flight
paths of planes at JFK and the security perimeter.
(Photo credits : STI) _____________________________
NBC terrorism analyst Evan Kohlmann says it was posted five days ago
on an Internet location used by Iraq's top terrorist, Abu Musab al-
Zarqawi.
"We've seen plenty of material on radical Islamic Web sites dealing
with shooting down military aircraft in combat zones," says
Kohlmann. "However, this is the first time I've ever seen the
deliberate targeting of civilian aircraft leaving U.S. airports."
NBC News will not reveal many of the details. There's a sketch of a
terrorist on a rooftop shooting a missile at a plane, and information
on possible evasive tactics. Much of the information appears to have
been taken from the Web site of a U.S. magazine. There are also maps
showing flight paths and new security perimeters from New York's John
F. Kennedy International Airport.
The Web site with connections to the Iraqi insurgency also posted a
schematic map of JFK International Airport in New York City, along
with a manual on how to use shoulder-fired missiles. showing
potential terrorists how to down civilian airplanes by using the
missiles. The Internet posting also contained a map plotting flight
paths of planes at JFK and the security perimeter. The Web site also
showed a sketch of a terrorist shooting a missile at a plane from a
rooftop. New York officials say they take this seriously and have
alerted security at the airport. The FBI is still analyzing the
information, but terrorism experts tell us there's no suggestion this
poses any immediate threat.
Al-Qaida has tried to shoot down a plane. In 2002, terrorists fired
missiles at an Israeli airliner in Kenya. And a launcher tube was
found near a U.S. airbase in Saudi Arabia.
(Photo credits : MSNBC)
_____________________________
New York officials say they take this seriously and have alerted
security at the airport. The FBI is still analyzing the information,
but terrorism experts tell us there's no suggestion this poses any
immediate threat.
"What concerns me is the acknowledgement by Zarqawi's people that we
have vulnerability in our airports, of the launching of missiles
against commercial airliners," says Charles Slepian, a risk analysis
expert.
Al-Qaida has tried to shoot down a plane. In 2002, terrorists fired
missiles at an Israeli airliner in Kenya. And a launcher tube was
found near a U.S. airbase in Saudi Arabia.
How tough would it be to pull off an attack in the United States?
"The hardest thing for al-Qaida to do in order to carry out one of
these attacks is to smuggle both the shooters and smuggle the weapons
into place," says James Chow, an analyst with the Rand Corp. who has
authored a study on shoulder-fired missiles.
The Internet posting ends with a provocative message: "This is what I
have FOR now. I hope it is useful for my dear brothers."
Story Credits : Lisa Myers & the NBC investigative unit writing at
MSNBC
|
