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H. Thomas Hayden
recently concluded over 35 years of service,
which included the Agency for International
Development, the Marine Corps, defense industry
and the Pentagon. His specialties are Intelligence,
Counterinsurgency Operations, Counter-terrorism,
and Joint Concepts Development and Experimentation.
His Marine Corps assignments have included
command of two separate battalions; AC/S G-2,
4th MARDIV & AC/S G-2 FMFEurope; Branch Head,
HQMC, Special Operations and Low Intensity
Conflict (SO/LIC); Special Assistant to the
Assistant Secretary of Defense for SO/LIC;
and, Senior Program Analysts at HQMC with
the Joint Staff and DoD at the Pentagon. Overseas
assignments included Vietnam, Japan & Okinawa,
Europe, Central America, Saudi Arabia and
Kuwait, Somalia, Singapore, Philippines, and
Colombia. He has an MBA (Pepperdine) and an
MA in International Relations (University
of Southern California). He has written two
books and is working on a third.
Thomas
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July 11, 2005
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For over a year, most terrorist experts have been predicting that the next Al Qaeda attack on the USA could be a chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear device. However, all signs now point to another method to terrorize and punish Americans -- multiple bombings in crowded areas.
News reports of Chechens and Iraqis being picked up at Mexican/American border areas should give some credence to potential multiple bombings across the USA.
The ill-advised massive evacuation of The Capitol in Washington, D.C. every time a small airplane enters restricted air space presents a very inviting target, as remote controlled bombs or suicide bombers can mingle with the large crowds being moved out of the buildings. Also, there is the possibility of a number of terrorists infected with a serious disease or carrying anthrax waiting on the streets for the next airplane intrusion. This could be a serious incident of massive proportions just waiting to happen.
The Washington D.C. and Capitol police should instruct Congressmen and Senators and their staffs to all return to their offices, and await further instruction. Any impact on a part of a Capitol building by a small plane will cause far less damage and deaths than multiple booms on the Capitol Mall, or a chemical or biological spray over the massive crowds being evacuated from Capitol buildings.
The bombings in Madrid and London were meant to intimidate and weaken political support for America's attacks on the Global War on Terrorism. A similar incident in America will be meant to punish and weaken our resolve in Iraq, Afghanistan and the Horn of Africa.
The New York Times and other newspapers first reported that the police investigators in London “learned” that the three bombs used in the subway were detonated by timers, not suicide bombers, and that the fourth device may have been intended for a target other than the city bus that it destroyed. Also, some sources were reporting that two other unexploded bombs were found.
However, British investigators are now reporting that the four suspects caught on surveillance cameras might not have survived the blasts and may have been “suicide bombers.” This would be the first reported case of suicide bombers in Western Europe. Additionally, many news media reported unexploded devices and timing mechanisms found near the bombing sites.
The old adage on combat situation reports seems applicable, in that first reports are usually wrong. The news media’s rush to exploit the sensational aspects of the events are often off the mark, but you seldom see a retraction with an explanation on how they got the story wrong.
The Washington Times went so far as to report that British defense expert said Thursday's bombings in London were executed by at least 24 people and designed to mirror bombings last year in Madrid. While Madrid was still recovering from five subway blasts and three aboard buses, Michael Clarke, director of the Center for Defense Studies at King's College London, told the British newspaper The Guardian that the attacks had obviously been well-planned. The fact that London was hit
when the resources of the security forces were focused on the Group of Eight summit in Scotland indicated some clever thinking by terrorists, he said. He also noted the similarities to the attacks on Madrid commuter trains last March 11. Clarke expressed concern that just the day before, London was named the host site of the 2012 Olympic Games. "It (the Olympics) has global attention, so it is bound to attract the attention of groups that want to use it for their own purposes," he said. "That will be the case even if al-Qaida is a distant memory.”
Senior New Scotland Yard officials reportedly said they had not received a message, which always preceded an Irish Republican Army bombing, claiming responsibility for the attacks from any group, and had made no arrests. However, UK police officials immediately drew parallels between the London bombings and the ones that struck Madrid which were carried out by an Al Qaeda-inspired cell.
Richard Norton-Taylor and Duncan Campbell, writing in The Guardian on 8 July 2005, stated that a group of terrorists, affiliated or inspired by al-Qaida, carried out the series of coordinated bomb attacks in London. They reported that a group calling itself the Secret Organisation of the al-Qaida Jihad in Europe posted a claim of responsibility for the attacks, saying they were in retaliation for Britain's involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan. The statement, which also threatened attacks in Italy and Denmark, was published on a website popular with Islamist militants, according to Elaph, a secular Arabic-language news website.
The Guardian: "Rejoice, Islamic nation. Rejoice, Arab world. The time has come for vengeance against the Zionist crusader government of Britain in response to the massacres Britain committed in Iraq and Afghanistan," said the statement, which was translated by the Associated Press in Cairo.
The authenticity of the message could not be immediately confirmed. An Al Qaida affiliated group in Europe claimed responsibility for the bombs that killed 191 people on commuter trains in Madrid in March last year. In yesterday's statement in The Guardian, the group said: "The heroic mujahideen carried out a blessed attack in London, and now Britain is burning with fear and terror, from north to south, east to west."
Whatever group of terrorists are responsible for the attacks in London, it seems clear that there is mounting evidence that more independent but like-minded Al Qaeda cells are growing around the world. While they may not be directed by the original leadership of Al Qaeda, they are most certainly inspired and may be loosely connected to the growing world-wide terrorist organizations.
What is next for the USA?
It is only a matter of when, not if, an Al-Qaeda related terrorist attack will reach the American people. We can only hope and pray that those responsible for preventing any form of terrorist attack on the US are diligently at work 24/7. So far, there has been little evidence that we are getting better at prevention than recovery.
Anti-terrorism awareness should be on the mind of all American citizens. It is what people do, NOT who they are. Suspicious activity generally comes in the form of unusual activities by people not from a given area. If someone looks like they do not belong in an area and are doing something suspicious, take no independent action, but report it to the local authorities and let them decide if it needs investigation.
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© 2005 H. Thomas Hayden. All opinions
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