According to Al Qaeda’s magazine, Inspire, the terrorists plan to target America’s trains.
Issue No. 17 will be released shortly with a headline reading, "Train Derail Operations," and goes on to spell out ways to create rail disasters in a transportation system that lacks the stiff security procedures of airline travel.
For more than a year, Al Qaeda’s rival ISIS, has called for followers to attack the West using vehicles resulting in hundreds of fatalities and injuries in Nice, Berlin and London as well as Ohio. Adding trains to the terrorist’s priority list would put at risk virtually every mode of transportation and placed added pressure on the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
The Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) released a report on Friday August 11, saying al Qaeda has promoted the Inspire articles with a trailer appearing on Telegram app channels operated by its fans.
"The trailer highlights that derailments are simple to design using easily available materials, that such a planned attack can be hard to detect, and that the outcome can substantially damage a country’s transportation sector and the Western economy in general," MEMRI said.
The U.S. maintains over 100,000 miles of rail. But the trailer features scenes of just one system, the subway. It shows cars flashing through urban tunnels. It quotes from U.S. Government Accountability Office reports on the vulnerability of rail lines to sabotage. It then shows what appear to be rudimentary devices that can be clamped onto a line to cause a derailment.
"Simple to design," the promo says in English script, mentioning "America" several times. "Made from readily available materials. Hard to detached. Cause great destruction to the Western economy and transportation sector."
In recent months Al Qaeda has depicted itself as making a comeback from its headquarters in Yemen. Intelligence sources confirm the terror group has created new alliances in North Africa, is using social media to attract followers, and has not given up the idea of another mass-casualty attack.
In the quest for prominence between these terror organizations, we should recognize that their struggle between one another would only mean more death for all who do not subscribe to their beliefs.
