Terror Threat In Newark

The federal government has issued a new terror warning, and this time the targets are specific. According to Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge, al-Qaeda is planning to detonate truck bombs in front of New York financial institutions like the New York Stock Exchange in Lower Manhattan, the Citigroup building in Midtown Manhattan, as well as other financial sites - namely, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund in Washington, D.C., and the Prudential Financial building in. . .Newark, New Jersey??

Terrific. . . more terrorism to be afraid of. I suppose there could be a silver lining in this cloud. If the government knows where al-Qaeda might strike next, this warning might deter the terror network from striking any of these targets. On the other hand, this information could be meant to deceive the government, leading the Homeland Security Department to prepare for an attack in one place but getting caught off-guard in another. In New York, Mayor Michael Bloomberg has already vowed not to let the city lower its guard at any other potential target while further securing the ones mentioned in this alert. It doesn't sound like a ruse, though, as the intelligence calculates how many people can be wounded or killed and how much potential damage can be caused at these sites.

The listing of the Prudential site in Newark is a curious one. Why, one might ask, would terrorists target Prudential? What is that company's link to the Arab world? Hmmm, that might require some looking into. . .. :-(