KdawnLily's Mom
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Aug 24, 2003
U.S. terrorist advisory targets Canadian flights
By ESTANISLAO OZIEWICZ AND STEVEN CHASE
Friday, September 5, 2003
TORONTO and OTTAWA -- Al-Qaeda is planning to hijack commercial airliners flying over or near the United States for use in kamikaze-style attacks, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security warned yesterday -- a prospect that would put Canada directly in the terrorist network's sights.
Most of the flights that meet the Homeland Security Department specifications originate north of the border -- the advisory excluded flights landing in the United States. Instead, the department is concerned about flights that take off and land in other countries but whose paths take them near enough to U.S. soil to launch an attack.
CNN reported last night that U.S. officials have been working with Canada over the past several weeks to improve security.
Canadian officials, reached last night, refused to discuss whether security has been beefed up in the past month, saying that they've been in an "enhanced" state of security since Sept. 11, 2001. "We don't talk about specific security measures," said Amy Butcher, spokeswoman for Transport Minister David Collenette.
"We deal with [the Americans] on a daily basis; we share information constantly."
The Homeland Security advisory says al-Qaeda operatives have been studying countries that have the least restrictive requirements for entry, identifying those where airline flights would be easiest to board and allowing them to take control of the planes and crash them into targets while flying over or near the United States.
It says operatives took a special interest in Washington's decision last month to suspend programs that had allowed some foreigners to travel through the United States without visas.
This "demonstrates that the group sees international flights transiting the U.S. as candidates for takeover and use in aerial suicide attacks," the advisory says.
"We remain concerned about al-Qaeda's continued efforts to plan multiple attacks against the U.S. and U.S. interests overseas," the department said.
"However, at this time, we have no specific information on individual targets or dates for any attack."
Unlike the United States, Canada has not suspended its transit-without-a-visa program.
"We have a program in place; we have not suspended it," Ms. Butcher said.
She could not say whether Ottawa is considering suspending this program.
After Sept. 11, 2001, the Canadian government announced plans to plow $2-billion into extra aviation security over the next five years, including bomb-detection equipment for most major airports, improved passenger screening and armed air marshals on selected flights.
It also ordered carriers to spend money fortifying and installing locks on cockpit doors.
Canada even announced in November of 2001 that it would change its laws so that the information travellers give to airlines about themselves can be handed over to U.S. Customs and immigration officials.
U.S. officials asked shortly after Sept. 11 for passenger manifests from Canadian planes to be sent before the flights to customs officials to speed screening.
The U.S. colour-coded terrorist alert level was raised last year -- from yellow (elevated risk) to orange (high risk) -- on the eve of the first anniversary of the terrorist attacks, with U.S. officials warning that al-Qaeda might try to stage an attack to mark the day.
But the anniversary passed without incident in the United States.
The alert is now yellow, and the Department of Homeland Security said in its notice that no change is anticipated before next Thursday's anniversary
I just saw this a few minutes ago. I've just booked a flight to WDW. Now I don't know what to do.
By ESTANISLAO OZIEWICZ AND STEVEN CHASE
Friday, September 5, 2003
TORONTO and OTTAWA -- Al-Qaeda is planning to hijack commercial airliners flying over or near the United States for use in kamikaze-style attacks, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security warned yesterday -- a prospect that would put Canada directly in the terrorist network's sights.
Most of the flights that meet the Homeland Security Department specifications originate north of the border -- the advisory excluded flights landing in the United States. Instead, the department is concerned about flights that take off and land in other countries but whose paths take them near enough to U.S. soil to launch an attack.
CNN reported last night that U.S. officials have been working with Canada over the past several weeks to improve security.
Canadian officials, reached last night, refused to discuss whether security has been beefed up in the past month, saying that they've been in an "enhanced" state of security since Sept. 11, 2001. "We don't talk about specific security measures," said Amy Butcher, spokeswoman for Transport Minister David Collenette.
"We deal with [the Americans] on a daily basis; we share information constantly."
The Homeland Security advisory says al-Qaeda operatives have been studying countries that have the least restrictive requirements for entry, identifying those where airline flights would be easiest to board and allowing them to take control of the planes and crash them into targets while flying over or near the United States.
It says operatives took a special interest in Washington's decision last month to suspend programs that had allowed some foreigners to travel through the United States without visas.
This "demonstrates that the group sees international flights transiting the U.S. as candidates for takeover and use in aerial suicide attacks," the advisory says.
"We remain concerned about al-Qaeda's continued efforts to plan multiple attacks against the U.S. and U.S. interests overseas," the department said.
"However, at this time, we have no specific information on individual targets or dates for any attack."
Unlike the United States, Canada has not suspended its transit-without-a-visa program.
"We have a program in place; we have not suspended it," Ms. Butcher said.
She could not say whether Ottawa is considering suspending this program.
After Sept. 11, 2001, the Canadian government announced plans to plow $2-billion into extra aviation security over the next five years, including bomb-detection equipment for most major airports, improved passenger screening and armed air marshals on selected flights.
It also ordered carriers to spend money fortifying and installing locks on cockpit doors.
Canada even announced in November of 2001 that it would change its laws so that the information travellers give to airlines about themselves can be handed over to U.S. Customs and immigration officials.
U.S. officials asked shortly after Sept. 11 for passenger manifests from Canadian planes to be sent before the flights to customs officials to speed screening.
The U.S. colour-coded terrorist alert level was raised last year -- from yellow (elevated risk) to orange (high risk) -- on the eve of the first anniversary of the terrorist attacks, with U.S. officials warning that al-Qaeda might try to stage an attack to mark the day.
But the anniversary passed without incident in the United States.
The alert is now yellow, and the Department of Homeland Security said in its notice that no change is anticipated before next Thursday's anniversary
I just saw this a few minutes ago. I've just booked a flight to WDW. Now I don't know what to do.
