Homeland security foils terrorist plot

[ecoli]

If you don't think we're doing enough to protect ourselves from another terrorist attack, you may be interested to know that FBI officials uncovered and disrupted a plot to blow up the Holland Tunnel.

 

This tunnel is vital for transportation from New Jersey into manhattan, and could've caused massive floodings in New York city, if it had not been uncovered.

 

Monitering internet chat rooms helped uncover the plot and key suspects have already been arrested by Lebanese officials.

 

http://www.forbes.com/technology/ebusiness/feeds/ap/2006/07/07/ap2864269.html

[scicop]

with the help of some outstanding US civilians!!! Can't go into further details, but people like you all have plenty of opportunity to help DHS, IC, FLE and local PD! couldn't have done it without them!

[Sisyphus]

I guess if the entire world is integrated into Homeland Security, whenever anyone succeeds at anything, "Homeland Security" can take the credit.

[bascule]

This is pretty scary considering I was just in New York and just went through that tunnel

[scicop]

I guess if the entire world is integrated into Homeland Security, whenever anyone succeeds at anything, "Homeland Security" can take the credit.

 

At the end of the day, doesn't matter who takes the credit. There is need for team work and when it comes to terrorism, its a team effort that involves everyone.

 

There are many unsung heros out there who are doing their part to help keep a safe US and rather than wasting their time complaining about US politics, they're stepping up to the plate and engaging in career paths and job positions that allow them to directly influence safty and, as a consequence, political aims. However, chances are you'll never know their names! They're satisfied with known that the job has been done. So whether is DHS, FLE/IC, local PD taking the credit, I think we all owe them a big thank you and a big BRAVO!!!!

[Jim]

At the end of the day' date=' doesn't matter who takes the credit. There is need for team work and when it comes to terrorism, its a team effort that involves everyone.

 

There are many unsung heros out there who are doing their part to help keep a safe US and rather than wasting their time complaining about US politics, they're stepping up to the plate and engaging in career paths and job positions that allow them to directly influence safty and, as a consequence, political aims. However, chances are you'll never know their names! They're satisfied with known that the job has been done. So whether is DHS, FLE/IC, local PD taking the credit, I think we all owe them a big thank you and a big BRAVO!!!![/quote']

 

I'm not so much interested in who gets the credit but, if I were a policy maker, I would want to know what has worked and what has failed. Apparently, this was a win for the FBI:

 

A federal official said FBI agents monitoring Internet chat rooms used by extremists learned of the plot in recent months and determined that tunnels possibly were being targeted after investigators pieced together code words from their conversations.

 

With help from Lebanese authorities:

 

Officials said the FBI monitored internet chat rooms and cited the arrest of a key suspect by Lebanese authorities as a significant breakthrough.

 

A senior Lebanese security official said that Lebanese authorities, working with US law enforcement agencies, arrested an al-Qa'eda operative who admitted the plot.

 

He identified the suspect as Amir Andalousli, but said his real name was Assem Hammoud, a Beirut native linked to Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the terrorist leader killed in Iraq last month.

[Sisyphus]

How long have they been monitoring chat rooms? That's always been legal, hasn't it?

[Jim]

How long have they been monitoring chat rooms? That's always been legal, hasn't it?

 

Probably ever since 9/11.

 

Regarding the legalities, most privacy cases have to do with whether there is a reasonable expectation of privacy. I'd have to do some research to see what the law is regarding various forms of chat communications. Surely there is no privacy expectation in a public chat forum. I'm not sure about IMs.

[Sisyphus]

You think only since 9/11? Hell, I could "monitor chat rooms" myself just by going to them, couldn't I? There's no way this is a Patriot Act thing, if that's what you're getting at.

[Pangloss]

Perhaps they fall more along the lines of an open transmission. The pedophile-chasers certainly don't seem to have any problems in that area.

[Jim]

You think only since 9/11? Hell, I could "monitor chat rooms" myself just by going to them, couldn't I? There's no way this is a Patriot Act thing, if that's what you're getting at.

 

That's my guess but I said "probably" because efforts of this type ramped up post 9/11. I did not say this required Patriot Act authorization. I suspect, but do not know, that there is now a systematic high tech program in place to crawl through such rooms.

[padren]

I thought NY wasn't supposed to be a target anymore, since it had no national landmarks and all that.

 

 

I am very glad they stopped it. It would have been horrible if it happened, and even more horrible when we'd get shouted down as anti-patriotic-death-monger-ghouls to point out that it would have followed the heavy cuts in security money for New York that was more needed in "swing states."

 

Its moments like this were we can see that such an indulgent abuse in funding allocation can lead to actual disasters...few things get my blood pressure up as much as this sort of stuff.

[Pangloss]

Random thought: Doesn't Steinbrenner spend more money than that on the Yankees' salaries?

[ecoli]

Random thought: Doesn't Steinbrenner spend more money than that on the Yankees' salaries?

 

most definately... but without a high paid team, the yanks have nothing.

[Pangloss]

Ain't it the truth. But then my two favorite teams are the Braves and whomever is playing the Yankees, so I'm not very objective on the matter. (grin)

[ecoli]

Ain't it the truth. But then my two favorite teams are the Braves and whomever is playing the Yankees, so I'm not very objective on the matter. (grin)

 

And my favorite team is the Mets... mostly to piss my brother off, he is an avid yankee fan.

[Sisyphus]

Oh, so the Mets and the Braves are all-volunteer teams, then? Interesting.

[Pangloss]

Yes, and as such, above reproach!