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Info from Osama raid shows interest in US trains

May 6, 2011 - 10:50 By (공용)코리아헤럴드
WASHINGTON (AP) - Some of the first information gleaned from Osama bin Laden's compound indicates al-Qaida considered attacking U.S. trains on the coming anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States. Counterterrorism officials say they believe the planning never got beyond the initial phase and have no recent intelligence pointing to an active plot for such an attack.

As of February 2010, the terror organization was considering plans to attack the United States on the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. One idea was to tamper with an unspecified U.S. rail track so that a train would fall off the track at a valley or a bridge, according to a joint FBI and Homeland Security bulletin sent to law enforcement officials around the country Thursday. The al-Qaida planners noted that if they were to attack a train by tilting it, the plan would only succeed once because the tilting would be spotted the next time.

The warning, obtained by The Associated Press, was marked for ``official use only.''

Information on the train plot appears to have been the first widely circulated intelligence pulled from the raid this week on bin Laden's secret compound in Pakistan. After killing the terror leader and four of his associates, Navy SEALs confiscated a treasure-trove of computers, DVDs and documents from the home where U.S. officials believe the al-Qaida chief had been hiding for up to six years.

Other intelligence information gathered at the compound represented a terrorist wish list but has revealed no specific plan so far, a U.S. official said. He said documents indicated a desire to hit the U.S. with large-scale attacks in major cities and on key dates such as anniversaries and holidays. But there was no sign those plans were anything more than ambitions. The U.S. official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss intelligence matters.

Intelligence analysts have been reviewing and translating the material, looking for information about pending plots and other terror connections. Even before the raid, intelligence officials for years have warned that al-Qaida was interested in attacking major U.S. cities on holidays, anniversaries and other dates that are uniquely American.

``While it is clear that there was some level of planning for this type of operation in February 2010, we have no recent information to indicate an active ongoing plot to target transportation and no information on possible locations or specific targets,'' Thursday's warning said.

The FBI and Homeland Security told local officials to be on the lookout for clips or spikes missing from train tracks, packages left on or near the tracks and other indications that a train could be vulnerable.

Homeland Security spokesman Matt Chandler said, ``This alleged al-Qaida plotting is based on initial reporting, which is often misleading or inaccurate and subject to change.'' He said the government has no plans to issue an official terror alert because of it.

An official with the Association of American Railroads said the organization has received warnings from the federal government and is sharing the information throughout the railroad network. ``We are always making sure that the system is run as safely and securely as possible,'' the organization's spokeswoman, Patricia Reilly, said.

U.S. officials have disrupted other terror plots that targeted rails, including a 2009 plan to blow up the New York City subway system.

On Monday the FBI and Homeland Security warned law enforcement officials around the country that bin Laden's death could inspire retaliatory attacks in the United States, and that terrorists not yet known to the intelligence community could be operating inside the country. The transportation sector, including U.S. rails, remain attractive targets for terrorists.



<한글 기사>

"빈 라덴, 9.11 기념 열차테러 준비"

알-카에다 지도자 오사마 빈 라덴이 9.11테러를 기념한 대규모 열차 테러를 계획하고 있었다는 정황이 드러났다.

5일(현지시각) 미국 abc방송 등에 따르면 미 국토안보부와 연방수사국(FBI)은 최근 미군 특수부대 기습작전 당시 빈 라덴의 은신처에서 압수한 증거물을 토대로 미국 내 사법기관에 열차 테러 관련 경고문을 하달했다.

경고문에 따르면 2010년 2월 당시 알-카에다는 9.11테러 10주년을 겨냥해 미국내 불특정 장소에서 열차 테러 감행을 고려 중이었던 것으로 밝혀졌다.
특히 알-카에다는 선로를 훼손해 열차를 탈선시킴으로써 객차들이 통째로 계곡이나 다리 밑으로 떨어지게 하는 수법을 고려했다.

알-카에다는 또 최신식 열차는 객차마다 각각의 제동장치가 있으며 특정 방향으로의 움직임이 열차를 선로에서 벗어나게 할 수는 있지만 완전히 탈선시키기는 어렵다고 분석하기도 했다.

미 국토안보부 산하 교통안전청(TSA)은 작년 2월 이후로 이 같은 테러 계획에 진전이 있었는지는 확실하지 않다며, 이와 관련해 공공장소의 보안을 강화하는 등 '예방조치'에 들어가기는 했지만 테러 경보를 발령하지는 않을 것이라고 밝혔다.

미국 정부의 한 관계자는 빈 라덴 은신처에서 발견된 각종 증거물 중에는 열차테러 이외에도 알-카에다가 기획하고 있던 여러 가지 테러와 관련된 웹사이트 주소와 도식들이 포함돼 있다고 귀띔했다.

그러나 다른 미국 정부 관리는 알-카에다가 이 같은 테러 계획을 모의했다는 증거가 드러났지만 계획들이 '최종 단계'에 이른 것은 아니라고 설명했다.
abc방송은 각종 테러 계획을 담은 문서가 빈 라덴의 은신처에서 발견된 상황을 감안하면 빈 라덴이 사살 직전까지 9.11테러 당시처럼 알-카에다의 테러 계획을  승인하는 데 중추적 역할을 했을 것이라고 분석했다.

(연합뉴스)