Terror Attacks on Airports of all places...

I am kerfuzzled as to why terrorist cells would plan to attack airports, where security is at its highest. Airports are arguably our most secure areas around in addition to being areas where people are already scared to be. I theorize that much more damage and destablization could be done by targeting major tourist and local destinations directly. How many people would it take to close down a local mall and take out a few hundred people? Security is lax, larger weaponry could be carried in and response times are low. The Louvre in Paris, a local mall, etc. It seems insane and not at all practical to attack the areas that you have almsot zero chances of doing any real damage to. Hell, if you can get weaponry beyond the gate at an airport, you'd be best served to just board a plane with it.

Commando styled raids on large hotels like Mumbai? Practical. The same raids against reticent armed legions at an airport? Absurd.

I think our security services are in for a shock if they believe the next attacks will be at our aiports. I can't believe we've avoided it for as long as we have. What do you all think, any insights on the future of guerilla civilian raids?

Phew!

I thought this was going to be the thread discussing the 'imminent terrorist attack' that has made security forces so very nervous for two weeks now has at last happened. (There's a high state of alert, several evacuations of tourist sites recently, America and Japan issued warnings for travellers to France and Germany)
[/phew]


Yes, airports are sooo ten years ago. Not what any fashionable terrorist would target.

Maybe I've got too vivid an imagination, but the scenarios I can think up that would only require four guys and several hundred dollars....
I can create havock that will be lamented for centuries. It is all rather scary. A free society can not easily defend itself against it.

Actually Airports are perfect when you think about it the disruption will be global and prob take years to fix

Maybe because they are supposed to be secure, has it's own logic.

But the craic is the attack will fail but in this CNN/FOX News world with 24hr scrolling hysteria it wont matter everyone will :daisy: themselves especially in the US even though it happened in Europe

Meh, been at bombing alerts in 3 different country's, all in subways. Nobody panics. Literally nobody. Don't think anything big is going to happen by the way, it's impossible to prevent anyway.

I was flying back from the Netherlands and security was pretty lax (at least compared to Heathrow). No real inspection of luggage or what was in the clear plastic bag. I don't think a wad of semtex in my hand plus detonator would have been noticed.

~:smoking:

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Originally Posted by Louis VI the Fat

Phew!

I thought this was going to be the thread discussing the 'imminent terrorist attack' that has made security forces so very nervous for two weeks now has at last happened. (There's a high state of alert, several evacuations of tourist sites recently, America and Japan issued warnings for travellers to France and Germany)
[/phew]

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One wonders what's left to attack by those terrorists, after the massacres caused by the bird flu and the swine flu. Ha! And they all made fun of me when I said the media weren't sowing panic and the threat was real! I still stumble over the hundreds of thousands of bodies on the streets here, caused by those terribly dangerous and lethal viruses... Everything they say is true and the media are never looking for sensation and never try to cause unnecessary panic!

As for the OP: if I would be a terrorist, I wouldn't blow up an airport either and would go for an easier target and getting out alive. Then again, I'm not an insane, illogical crazy religious nutjob, so what do I know :shrug:

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Originally Posted by rory_20_uk

I was flying back from the Netherlands and security was pretty lax (at least compared to Heathrow). No real inspection of luggage or what was in the clear plastic bag. I don't think a wad of semtex in my hand plus detonator would have been noticed.

~:smoking:

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Kinda depends where you are from. But 9/11 can't be outclassed, future acts of terror are probably more like the van Gogh murder or the attempted murder on that Danish cartoonist. And should something explode so what really.

Well thanks for letting the cat out of the bag

It's all security theater at airports, a terrorist organization with the tiniest nugget of creativity could inflict severe casualties and completely shut down air travel in the US for an extended period of time.

I, for one, feel much safer since I saw security in Zaventem forcing retired ladies going on holiday to Spain to take off their sandals. I also feel very safe now that it is forbidden to have a bottle of water on the plane. Deodorant and other inflammable liquids bought in a taxfree shop were no problem however, as long as the plastic bag was closed when boarding the plane. Of course, not even an evil terrorist would dare to open his plastic bag filled with inflammable deodorant while in the air...

What are they going to do next to enhance security? Force everybody to get naked and enter the plane jumping backwards on one leg while whistling "Would I lie to you" from Charles and Eddy?

:wall:

I seen an English fella in Stansted who had to bin a waterbottle even though he tried to finish it off before stepping through the security, talk about officious

I'm surprised there has been no big attacks on the check in line at airports. They'd get hundred's of casualties, shut down that airport for who knows how long and they wouldn't have to pass a single baggage check.

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Originally Posted by miotas

I'm surprised there has been no big attacks on the check in line at airports. They'd get hundred's of casualties, shut down that airport for who knows how long and they wouldn't have to pass a single baggage check.

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Plus they would prob cause global traffic disruption and no doubt cause a couple of airline to go bust.

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Originally Posted by miotas

I'm surprised there has been no big attacks on the check in line at airports. They'd get hundred's of casualties, shut down that airport for who knows how long and they wouldn't have to pass a single baggage check.

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Blow up a dike here, millions dead. Not worried about terrorist attacks, if I was a machivalian islamist I'd reckon there is no need for them.

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Originally Posted by miotas

I'm surprised there has been no big attacks on the check in line at airports. They'd get hundred's of casualties, shut down that airport for who knows how long and they wouldn't have to pass a single baggage check.

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:yes:

Or you could infect yourself with plague and then immigrate all legal and the like and kill millions.

hey we should be working for TV coming up senarios for Jack bauer

Terrorism is not just about doing damage, it is about doing it in a "splashy" manner. Blowing up the dykes and inundating millions (though killing only a relative few) would work, but blowing up 110 power substations would not -- even though the latter would do a surprising amount of damage.

They won't be trying anything up here, since we've got Smeato!

"He later recalled his first thoughts on being confronted by the two desperate suspects who drove a burning jeep filled with explosives into the airport entrance. He heard three explosions as he smoked a cigarette during his break: "What's the score? I've got to get this sorted."

It was reported that Smeaton shouted ":daisy:ing mon, then" and aimed a kick at Kafeel Ahmed, who later died from his 90% burns following the attack."

Remember terrorists, it's like Smeato said... "Glasgow doesn't accept this. This is Glasgow; we'll set aboot ye!"

I do not get the airport hysteria either.

Give me a few volunteers and I could with ease cause billions of dollars in damage. I would not even need funding, after getting the agents to the location the whole operation would cost only a few hundred dollars.

Clearly the people behind such operations are more interested in the optics of an attack than the actual damage.