Terror Attacks on Airports of all places...

[ICantSpellDawg]

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?

[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]


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.

[gaelic cowboy]

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

[Fragony]

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

[gaelic cowboy]

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

[Fragony]

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.

[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.

[Andres]

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]

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