Where will you be Feb 2nd?
Al Qaeda Threatens to Nuke New York on February 2The banner headline spread across the front page of Il Giornale, the respected Milan daily reads:
“Al Qaeda: We will destroy New York within 35 days. Threat on the Internet. Countdown begins.”
The threat was contained in a video clip featured on a web site associated with the fundamentalist terror group. It announced al Qaeda plans to destroy New York in a nuclear blast on February 2. Il Giornale claims the FBI blocked and removed the web site.
The video clip showed three possible scenarios: 1. A bomb or giant fireball from the skies that will cover the metropolis with a radioactive cloud. 2. A storm of radioactive clouds that will topple skyscrapers one by one, along with the Statue of Liberty and Brooklyn Bridge. 3. An explosion on board a charter aircraft that will cause a radioactive cloud to spread over the city.
The video clip was accompanied by large, red-lettered Arabic captions saying: “If God wills it, the end of America is near.”
This leads me to wonder a couple of things. One- how does one go about substantiating a claim like this? Can a threat of this sort be validated without some serendipitious errors on the part of the attackers? Two- at what point is a 'Red Alert' declared?
I fully understand the fear of crying wolf regarding these alert levels. I also know that my life really doesn't change all that much from a 'Yellow' to an 'Orange' warning.
What happens when we go to 'Red'?
Well, from the Homeland Security site, 'Orange' is defined as :
High Condition (Orange). A High Condition is declared when there is a high risk of terrorist attacks. In addition to the Protective Measures taken in the previous Threat Conditions, Federal departments and agencies should consider the following general measures in addition to the agency-specific Protective Measures that they will develop and implement:
*Coordinating necessary security efforts with Federal, State, and local law enforcement agencies or any National Guard or other appropriate armed forces organizations;
*Taking additional precautions at public events and possibly considering alternative venues or even cancellation;
*Preparing to execute contingency procedures, such as moving to an alternate site or dispersing their workforce; and
*Restricting threatened facility access to essential personnel only.
Life starts to get seriously altered once a level of 'Red' is declared:
Severe Condition (Red). A Severe Condition reflects a severe risk of terrorist attacks. Under most circumstances, the Protective Measures for a Severe Condition are not intended to be sustained for substantial periods of time. In addition to the Protective Measures in the previous Threat Conditions, Federal departments and agencies also should consider the following general measures in addition to the agency-specific Protective Measures that they will develop and implement:
*Increasing or redirecting personnel to address critical emergency needs;
*Assigning emergency response personnel and pre-positioning and mobilizing specially trained teams or resources;
*Monitoring, redirecting, or constraining transportation systems; and
*Closing public and government facilities.
Basically, the country is in a lockdown police state for the duration of the threat. Considering all the increased 'chatter' from traditionally reliable sources that something 'BIG' is about to be attempted, I am curious as to how close we are to approaching this state. And with all the economic ramifications involved, if we do, I'd have to believe it would be a damn credible threat.
It seems to me, Jane Layman, that the capture of Saddam has put some backs against a wall- and that desperate measures will be the result.
What ever happened to Jane Layman? I think she was right, if you ask me...David Grego
Posted by: David Grego | July 06, 2008 at 12:21 AM