Washington: The documents seized at Osama bin Laden's compound in Pakistan, which have reveled al Qaeda's plan to carry out terrorist attacks in the US, are a wakeup call, a key Senator has said.
"The documents seized at Osama bin Laden's compound are a wake up call for America. When it comes to threats to our national security, trains are a prime target and must be better secured," said Senator Frank R Lautenberg, chairman of
the Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Surface Transportation.
New threats to the US rail network have been revealed in documents gathered at Osama's compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan.
"Terrorists have attacked rail systems around the world and we've seen the devastating consequences in Moscow, Madrid, London and Mumbai. Now we have a handwritten note from Osama bin Laden's compound targeting rail systems in the
United States.
We need to stop cutting security funding for our surface transportation network, and get to work protecting our railways from real threats," Lautenberg said.
"The risk is enormous. On any given day, more than 70,000 people ride Amtrak, 450,000 people board New Jersey Transit, and eight million ride the New York City subway system.
Imagine what it would mean if a terrorist managed to carry out an attack on one of these systems. We must be vigilant to prevent potential terrorist attacks from becoming a reality," he said.
American officials, based on intelligence found in the home of slain Osama bin Laden, yesterday claimed that al Qaeda was plotting a possible train attack at an unspecified location in the US to grimly mark 10th anniversary of the September 11 attacks this year.
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