Terror Bomb Plot for New York Uncovered

A foreign terrorist plot to attack the transportation network, including tunnels, in the New York City-New Jersey area has been uncovered by the FBI, the Associated Press reports on Washington Post.com.

A statement released jointly at midmorning by the FBI and Department of Homeland Security said, “We have disrupted a terrorist network that was in the planning stages of an attack.”

An official told the AP that FBI agents monitoring Internet chat rooms used by extremists learned in recent months of the plot to strike a blow at the city’s economy by destroying vital transportation networks.

Additionally, the article reports the two agencies said in the statement that “a significant development in this investigation was the arrest of a key suspect by Lebanese authorities.”

Authorities in Lebanon, acting on a U.S. request, have arrested one of the alleged plotters, identified as Amir Andalousli, a second official told the AP. The federal officials spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation is still under way.

According to a senior Lebanese security official, also speaking on condition of anonymity, the suspect’s real name is Assem Hammoud, and the native of Beirut admitted to the plot. He is a member of al-Qaida, and he confessed to this plot information frankly and without coercion.

One U.S. official told the AP that other arrests in the plot were made overseas.

The article states a government official with knowledge of the investigation said while the alleged plot focused on New York’s transportation system, it did not target the Holland Tunnel. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the case is ongoing, would give no further details about the intended targets.

It’s unlikely that any plan to flood the financial district would work because it is above the level of the Hudson River.

Compiled by Paul Kerstein

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