| Welcome to The New Coffee Room. We hope you enjoy your visit. You're currently viewing our forum as a guest. This means you are limited to certain areas of the board and there are some features you can't use. If you join our community, you'll be able to access member-only sections, and use many member-only features such as customizing your profile, sending personal messages, and voting in polls. Registration is simple, fast, and completely free. Join our community! If you're already a member please log in to your account to access all of our features: |
| New York Terror Plot Foiled; Holland Tunnel | |
|---|---|
| Tweet Topic Started: Jul 7 2006, 05:17 AM (159 Views) | |
| George K | Jul 7 2006, 05:17 AM Post #1 |
|
Finally
|
Bomb tunnel, flood city One man is busted in Beirut, others hunted across globe and terrorists are seen linked to Zarqawi. BY ALLISON GENDAR in New York and JAMES GORDON MEEK in Washington DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITERS The FBI has uncovered what officials consider a serious plot by jihadists to bomb the Holland Tunnel in hopes of causing a torrent of water to deluge lower Manhattan, the Daily News has learned. The terrorists sought to drown the Financial District as New Orleans was by Hurricane Katrina, sources said. They also wanted to attack subways and other tunnels. Counterterrorism officials are alarmed by the "lone wolf" terror plot because they allegedly got a pledge of financial and tactical support from Jordanian associates of top terrorist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi before he was killed in Iraq, a counterterrorism source told The News. It's not clear, however, if any cash or assistance was delivered. The News has learned that at the request of U.S. officials, authorities in Beirut arrested one of the alleged conspirators, identified as Amir Andalousli, in recent months. Agents were scrambling yesterday to try to nab other suspects, sources said. They didn't indicate how many people were the target of the international dragnet but said they were scattered all over the world. "This is an ongoing operation," one source said. U.S. agents were allowed to take part in the interrogation of Andalousli, a source said. FBI and New York City Police Department officials would not comment yesterday about the investigation, which has been kept under wraps for months. The plotters wanted to detonate a massive amount of explosives inside the Holland Tunnel to blast a hole that would destroy the tunnel, everyone in it, and send a devastating flood shooting through the streets of lower Manhattan. It is assumed by officials the thugs would try to use vehicles packed with explosives. Sources said that New York City officials believed the plan could conceivably work with enough explosives placed in the middle of the tunnel, which runs underneath the river bed, a source said. But others doubted the plot was feasible. "You are talking major, major explosives and knowledge of blast effect to make this happen," said another senior counterterrorism source. Besides bedrock, the tunnel is protected by concrete and cast-iron steel. Experts also said that even if the tunnel cracked, the Financial District would not be flooded because it is above the level of the river. The FBI discovered the plot by monitoring Internet chat rooms, where the aspiring terrorists discussed striking the U.S. economy, rather than causing mass casualties, a source said. "They're hell-bent on destroying the economy in the U.S.," a counterterrorism source said. =-=-=====-=-==-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-===- They call him a "lone wolf," but there were ties to Zarqawi? Probably not all that lonely. |
|
A guide to GKSR: Click "Now look here, you Baltic gas passer... " - Mik, 6/14/08 Nothing is as effective as homeopathy. I'd rather listen to an hour of Abba than an hour of The Beatles. - Klaus, 4/29/18 | |
![]() |
|
| The 89th Key | Jul 7 2006, 05:47 AM Post #2 |
|
Very good news, and another victory in the war on terror. I just hope we can keep stopping it - but at least we are finally making an effort. |
![]() |
|
| George K | Jul 7 2006, 05:48 AM Post #3 |
|
Finally
|
Wanna explain the "finally" part? |
|
A guide to GKSR: Click "Now look here, you Baltic gas passer... " - Mik, 6/14/08 Nothing is as effective as homeopathy. I'd rather listen to an hour of Abba than an hour of The Beatles. - Klaus, 4/29/18 | |
![]() |
|
| JBryan | Jul 7 2006, 05:57 AM Post #4 |
![]()
I am the grey one
|
What is "cast-iron steel". |
|
"Any man who would make an X rated movie should be forced to take his daughter to see it". - John Wayne There is a line we cross when we go from "I will believe it when I see it" to "I will see it when I believe it". Henry II: I marvel at you after all these years. Still like a democratic drawbridge: going down for everybody. Eleanor: At my age there's not much traffic anymore. From The Lion in Winter. | |
![]() |
|
| The 89th Key | Jul 7 2006, 05:59 AM Post #5 |
|
The inaction of previous administrations. |
![]() |
|
| big al | Jul 7 2006, 06:15 AM Post #6 |
|
Bull-Carp
|
There was a serious fire in the Holland Tunnel back in 1949 (Wikipedia article - Holland Tunnel Fire) that threatened to breach the tunnel. While tunnel fires are a real concern and have resulted in a number of fatal incidents, particularly in some of the very long European roadway tunnels, actually breaching an underwater tunnel would be a very serious demolition effort. Effectively disabling tunnels that run under earth would, IMO, be almost impossible. The nature of the forces that tunnels must be built to withstand to do their job makes them immensely strong structures. Big Al |
|
Location: Western PA "jesu, der simcha fun der man's farlangen." -bachophile | |
![]() |
|
| Rick Zimmer | Jul 7 2006, 10:31 AM Post #7 |
|
Fulla-Carp
|
Rememeber the use of the terror alert levels by the Bush Admininstration leading up to the 2004 election? Some political perspective from Rolling Stone... The Fear Card 7/7/06, 1:19 pm EST It’s hard to know what to make of the FBI’s reported disruption of a plot to blow up the Holland Tunnel. But the timing of the leak — and its intended political impact — is indisputable. Maybe this was a credible threat. Maybe it was a lot of hot air seethed in an Internet forum. (By the way, was anyone else disturbed to discover that when the FBI talks about picking up terrorist “chatter,” it’s literally coming from Jihadi chat rooms?!) Whatever the case, we should applaud the capture of Amir Andalousli in Lebanon. One less Osama wannabe on the streets of Beirut isn’t a bad thing. But let’s examine the alleged plot: As reported by the Daily News, Andalousi wanted to drown lower Manhattan by detonating a bomb in the Holland Tunnel. (UPDATE: The specific targeting of the Holland Tunnel is now in dispute.) OK, first: The physics are impossible. Worst case scenario: The tunnel floods. Water in the tube isn’t going to magically spout out the mouth and make Wall Street look like the Lower 9th Ward. Even the directors of that Stallone Holland Tunnel epic Daylight would have found that plot device implausible. So shame on the Daily News for fearmongering with its coverline: “Gang sought to flood downtown.” Now let’s turn to the timing. Here’s the most important line in the piece: FBI and New York City Police Department officials would not comment about the investigation, which has been kept under wraps for months. In other words, this is old news… of an incipient plot… that was defused before it left the chat room. So why did someone leak it to a tabloid for publication on today of all days? Consider: Today is the one-year anniversary of the July 7 bombings in London. It also marks four months to the day from November’s mid-term elections. Karl Rove & Co. are, once again, playing the Fear Card in an election year. Anyone who doubts that simply hasn’t been paying attention for the last five years. |
| [size=4]Violence is incompatible with the nature of God and the nature of the soul -- Benedict XVI[/size] | |
![]() |
|
| George K | Jul 7 2006, 11:25 AM Post #8 |
|
Finally
|
Rolling Stone Magazine writes a conspiracy editorial. I consider Rolling Stone to political analysis as, well, pornography to art. |
|
A guide to GKSR: Click "Now look here, you Baltic gas passer... " - Mik, 6/14/08 Nothing is as effective as homeopathy. I'd rather listen to an hour of Abba than an hour of The Beatles. - Klaus, 4/29/18 | |
![]() |
|
| Bernard | Jul 7 2006, 03:24 PM Post #9 |
|
Senior Carp
|
Reminds me of this article which we discussed not too long ago. Homeland Security grants rile D.C., NYC |
![]() |
|
| Larry | Jul 7 2006, 08:03 PM Post #10 |
![]()
Mmmmmmm, pie!
|
Oh, PLEASE tell me you didn't just sit there and say this was a Carl Rove plot to win an election! PLEASE tell me you really aren't that STUPID! |
|
Of the Pokatwat Tribe | |
![]() |
|
| « Previous Topic · The New Coffee Room · Next Topic » |









11:09 AM Jul 11