Reporting for Australia's Nine-MSN, Phil Han has a fascinating article today, "U.S. Brushfires Recall Al Qaeda Arson Threat." In addition to citing the FBI Memo from 2003, which I wrote about yesterday, Han writes:

In 2004, an Arabic-language jihad website posted a message purporting to be al-Qaeda's plan of economic attack on the US that included setting fires causing billions of dollars in damage. 

Han interviews Rohan Gunaratna, author of Inside Al Qaeda, who describes how terrorists are getting more and more creative in their terror plots. Gunaratna tells Han:

"Guns and bombs are a terrorists' forte, but today they are becoming increasingly creative and imaginative because they are under pressure," said Mr Gunaratna. "That's why governments need to also be imaginative and creative in their fight."

Mr Gunaratna confirmed that the detainee who was captured in 2003 and spoke of the fire plot was a high level al-Qaeda operative. While he said the probability of al-Qaeda setting some of the fires in California was extremely rare, he didn't rule it out in the future and said it was becoming increasingly possible.

"It is a matter that is of concern because there are individual members of al-Qaeda that have expressed interest in setting forest fires," Mr Gunaratna said. "It's not a policy of the leadership of al-Qaeda, but individual members have expressed interest." 

Han points out that terrorists have used fire in the past. 

In August 1978, four Shiite revolutionaries locked the doors of a cinema in the Iranian city of Abadan and set the theatre on fire. At least 377 people were burned alive.  

A tactic also used by the Nazis in WWII.  

Share This Article