WASHINGTON Ñ Israel has quietly warned the United States that
Islamic terrorists could target shopping malls and crowded areas in American
cities.
Israeli security officials relayed the warning during talks with their
U.S. counterparts last week. Military and security officials met in
strategic seminars both in Washington and Tel Aviv, Middle East Newsline reported.
Officials said the success of explosive belts is certain to be copied by
Islamic militants in the West. They pointed to a foiled 1997 attempt by a
Lebanese and Palestinian to blow themselves up in a New York City subway.
The leading candidates for such an attack, officials said, would be the
Islamic opposition Hamas movement. Hamas is said to have a widespread
presence in the United States, particularly around Chicago and New York.
The Israeli scenario is that militants loyal to Saudi fugitive Osama
Bin Laden could be preparing belts filled with explosives. The belts would
be worn by suicide attackers who would seek to detonate their belts in
crowded areas.
The issue will be explored during a conference in Israel attended by
counter-terrorism officers from the New York City area. The conference
focuses on terrorist threats in the wake of the Sept. 11 Islamic suicide
attacks on New York and Washington.
Over the weekend, the FBI warned that Al Qaida is planning to mine
apartment buildings around the United States. Officials said the FBI has
received information that Al Qaida agents intend to rent apartments and
plant explosives in them.
Last week, FBI agent Robert Wright Jr. filed a lawsuit in the U.S.
District Court in Washington that accused his superiors of ignoring Hamas
activities. Wright said he was told not to open criminal investigations of
suspected Hamas agents, which he said could have disrupted financing of the
group by a Saudi Arabian businessman.
U.S. Homeland Security director Tom Ridge has agreed with the Israeli
assessment. Ridge has warned that suicide bombers pose a threat to targets
in the United States.
The prospect of suicide bombings in the United States was discussed
during the visit last week by Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to
Washington. Sharon was accompanied by Israeli police chief Shlomo
Aharonishki who warned that potential targets include discotheques, malls
and restaurants.
"They moved over to suicide bombing, which is a very difficult problem
for law enforcement agencies to deal with," Aharonishki said. "This is like
a missile that's been launched. Once it's been launched, it's nearly
impossible to stop."
U.S. analysts agree with the Israeli assessment. They said explosive
belts have proven more effective and popular than car bombs and other
weapons.
"It is a watershed in the history of terrorism," Bruce Hoffman, director
of the Rand Corporation's Washington office, told the Washington Post. "The
practitioners of suicide bombing realize they are onto something. Why should
we think we would be immune?"
