U.S. bridges are terrorist target

Submitted by admin on Thu, 2007-08-02 09:58. U.S. News read more
2 August 2007: Whatever is determined as the cause of the I-35 bridge collapse, it is important for every American citizen to understand that the enemy is among us and continues to plot, plan and strategize attacks against various targets, including our own infrastructure. Bridges, tunnels and major transportation conveyances and hubs remain high on the list of potential targets. Consider just a few examples of terrorist plots disrupted specifically involving bridges inside the United States:
1993: Authorities foiled a plot by the followers of blind Muslim cleric Omar Abdel-Rahman to bomb New York City landmarks, including the George Washington Bridge.
2002: Officials issued a public warning and doubled security on San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge after it appeared on an al-Qaeda videotape seized in Spain.
2003: al-Qaeda considered, but cancelled an attack on the Brooklyn Bridge with the coded message "the weather is too hot." Iyman Faris (aka Mohammed RAUF), a Pakistan-born American citizen, is serving 20 years in prison for his role in terror operations.
2004: A man described in a federal indictment as a "high-ranking" HAMAS operative was arrested in Maryland on 20 August 2004 for videotaping the Chesapeake Bay Bridge for alleged surveillance purposes. The man, Ismael Selim ELBARASSE of Annandale, Va., reportedly has financial ties to the HAMAS. He was picked up as a "material witness" in a Chicago terrorism case, and was described as a "co-conspirator" in a 15-year racketeering conspiracy in the United States and abroad to illegally finance terrorist activities against Israel.
2006: Maruan Awad MUHAREB and Louai Abdelhamied OTHMAN, both of Mesquite Texas, and Louai's brother Adham Abdelhamid OTHMAN of Dallas were detained after buying 80 cell phones at a Wal-Mart store in Caro, Michigan, north of Detroit. They were also identified as having performed surveillance of a vulnerable target for terrorist purposes, a target identified as the Mackinac Bridge.

http://www.homelandsecurityus.com/bridges080207