On May 8, 2007, six men were arrested and charged with a variety of crimes connected to a plot to stage terrorist attacks on Fort Dix Army Base in New Jersey. The six men were all foreign born Islamic militants. While there were no known direct connections between the individuals and Al Qaida, they were clearly ideologically aligned with that group and were found to be in possession of a number of propaganda and training videos common in Islamic terrorist circles.

This homegrown terrorist group had been working for sometime prior to their arrests to prepare to gain entry to a US military base and attack the personnel assigned there. Their self-proclaimed goal was to kill as many US servicemen as possible. They had scouted a number of different installations before settling on Fort Dix. Their selection of this facility was apparently driven primarily by the fact that one member of the group had delivered pizza on the base and knew its layout and the procedures for gaining entrance.

In preparation for the attack, the group had done some firearms training at a range in Pennsylvania, acquired a map of Fort Dix and practiced tactics at a paintball facility. The group had also made inquiries about buying assault rifles and rocket-propelled grenade launchers, and the arrests were made shortly after group members met with a potential supplier of weapons for use in the attack.

The plan for the attack itself seemed at best hazy in its conception. Still members of the group clearly hoped to inflict large numbers of casualties and were obviously serious in their hatred of America. During one meeting, members of the cell watched a video from Iraq, which showed a US Marine having his arm blown off in an attack, and laughed.

As terrorists go, the guys arrested in the Fort Dix plot were not particularly well trained or well lead. They would most definitely not make the varsity team for Al Qaida or any other serious group. Still, left unmolested, there is a signficant chance that they would have succeeded in killing a number of US military personnel before they were stopped.

I could not help but think about the Fort Dix group and their plans this morning as I read the latest round of articles concerning the Maryland State Police and their undercover intelligence work against peaceful activists, including Catholic nuns, a candidate for Congress and opponents of biodefense research. Reports on these individuals were apparently placed in official files with headings that read "terrorism" and "anarchists".

I have said it before, and I will say it again. The civil rights implications of this scandal are huge, but so are the practical, "do we know what we are doing?" implications. While the State Police are using scarce resources to keep tabs on political opponents of the status quo, who is looking for the cell that wants to attack Fort Meade? The Academy? Andrews Air Force Base?

By: Sam Faddis

On October 6, 2008 there was a chlorine leak at a water treatment facility in Severna Park. Workers at the facility noticed the leak in one of the tanks, contacted the authorities and the problem was expeditiously resolved. As a precaution, five homes in the vicinity were evacuated until the matter was under control.

Not the most earth shaking of developments, but it started me thinking.

Terrorists, particularly operators trained by organizations like Al Qaida, are many things. They are vicious. They are cold-blooded. They are also adaptable and very good at finding ways to simplify complicated problems and avoid security measures.

On 9/11 the use of jet aircraft as flying bombs by Al Qaida helped them to solve one of the biggest problems in conducting an attack on US soil, how to assemble the materials for a large explosive device without coming to the attention of the authorities. You don't need to build a bomb if you can steal a big one with wings.

We spend a lot of time these days worrying about things Al Qaida might bring into the US, like improvised nuclear weapons. We are right to worry. If Al Qaida can build such a device, there is no question they will use it.

At the same time, however, we should not overlook other infinitely simpler ways in which Al Qaida could manage to pull off a spectacular WMD attack on US soil. One such way might be to attack any of the multitude of facilities that store large quantities of chlorine for water purification purposes. Despite efforts on the part of many individuals to replace the use of chlorine with other methodologies, as the incident on October 6, 2008 shows, there are still plenty of places around the country and in this area where chlorine remains in use.

Chlorine is a very dangerous substance. It is lethal in very small quantities. During the First World War, chlorine was used as a chemical agent against enemy troops with deadly effectiveness. Large car bombs incorporating chlorine tanks have been detonated in Iraq on many occasions by insurgents affiliated with Al Qaida.

A little over a year ago the Center for American Progress did a lengthy and detailed report on the dangers of chlorine as a terrorist weapon. That study showed what the results would be in a large metropolitan area if terrorists succeeded in detonating a single railroad tank car full of chlorine. Simulations demonstrated that such an event would create a huge toxic cloud, and that fatalities might well run into the tens of thousands.

Securing our borders is a good and long overdue step toward greater security. We might well want to make sure, though, that we are not overlooking much more immediate dangers already sitting right next to us.

By: Sam Faddis

A number of weeks ago, I wrote on this blog about the dust up concerning the State Police intelligence operation directed against peace activists and death penalty opponents in Maryland. I have to admit that I thought at that time that we had really seen the worst and that we were well on the way to putting the entire matter behind us.

I was wrong.

On October 8, 2008 former Maryland State Police Superintendent Thomas E. Hutchins testified before the State Senate on the matter. In the course of that testimony we discovered a number of things. We learned that reports were compiled on a total of 53 individuals, far more than we originally thought. We learned that these individuals were classified in an official database as being "terrorists". We learned that Hutchins apparently continues to believe this operation was justified, and we were treated to Hutchins' characterization of the individuals investigated as being "fringe people".

Let me make a little confession here. In a previous life, I worked as an attorney for the State of Washington, and I was part of the death penalty task force. I was, in short, one of the prosecutors whose job it was to get people hung in Washington State. It was not fun work. I did not take it lightly. I did believe then, and I continue to believe today, however, that there are certain select, horrific crimes for which the death penalty is appropriate.

All that is by way of saying that I seriously doubt that I would have too terribly much in common with the 53 persons on whom reports were written. That, however, is not the point. The point is, I don't get to decide who gets to say or think what nor, frankly, within very, very broad boundaries does anyone else in this society. We give free speech a very wide berth in this country and for very good reason. I am virtually certain that King George probably considered Thomas Paine and Samuel Adams "fringe people" as well.

There remains, beyond the question of civil liberties, another burning question. In the midst of a global war on terror, when we have already been struck at home by Islamic terrorists, and we know to a certainty that more attacks are intended, how did watching peace activists and death penalty opponents become a priority of Maryland State Police intelligence? There is a nuclear power plant down in Calvert County sitting within proximity of our national capital, the city of Baltimore and millions of human beings. Scattered around the state there are dozens of other sensitive sites, like water treatment facilities loaded with toxic chemicals. If I were setting priorities, I might start by taking a look at people who have taken an interest in places like that.

Osama believes in the death penalty.

By: Sam Faddis

On September 17, 2008 there was an attack on the US Embassy in Yemen. At least 11 people died, although some reports have put the death toll as high as 16. Fortunately, the car bomb used by the attackers detonated in the street outside the embassy compound. Had the explosion taken place inside, the death toll would have been much higher and would have included a large number of US citizens.

Sound familiar? By this stage in the "War on Terror", we have heard of so many of these attacks they are probably beginning to sound like background noise. The elections are coming up. Football season has started. Both the Redskins and the Ravens are showing signs of life. Is anybody really paying attention to what happens in Yemen?

Let me make a handful of observations and suggest that you really should care.

First, this attack is almost certainly the handiwork of Al Qaida. An attack of this magnitude probably could not be launched by anybody else in that location right now. So no matter what the latest press conference in DC said about our progress in the fight against Islamic extremism or how many claims there are that we "have them on the run", there is a lot of fight left in our adversaries, and they seem to be doing just fine at replacing the leaders we have killed with others of a younger generation.

Second, the fact that Al Qaida can replace its personnel as readily as it does and the fact that it can organize an attack of this scale in Yemen seven years after 9/11 tells you something profound about the attitude in the Middle East toward our nation. This is not a wack-a-mole game. There is no finite number of terrorists. If we do not come up with a policy that addresses the root causes of the anti-Americanism and extremism in that region, we are simply running in place. New terrorists are being manufactured just about as fast as we can hunt them down.

Finally, let's look at the tactics involved in this attack. The US Embassy in Yemen, like every embassy I am familiar with overseas at this point in history, has what is called a "car trap" in front of it. What that means in simple terms is that when you want to drive a vehicle into the compound you are stopped, and your car is blocked in some fashion both front and rear so it cannot move. (Usually by gates.) Then, before you enter the compound proper, your vehicle is checked thoroughly to ensure it does not contain explosives.

The attackers in this case knew this. They did not simply arrive with the hope that somehow they would be able to drive onto the compound. They came with a team of dedicated personnel wearing military uniforms and armed with automatic weapons and rocket-propelled grenades whose job it was, apparently, to attack the checkpoint at the entry to the embassy and force open the vehicle trap, thereby allowing a car loaded with explosives to gain entry to the compound and destroy the embassy proper.

This is not the first time such tactics have been used. Exactly the same kind of thing has been done previously in Saudi Arabia on several occasions, and what it shows is critical to our understanding of the nature of the conflict in which we are engaged.

Our enemies are continuously adapting and evolving. They attacked our embassies with car bombs. We put in place measures to prevent car bombs from entering embassy compounds. Now the enemy is figuring out how to defeat those measures. There is no static list of terrorist methodologies. As fast as you figure out how to counter one technique, you need to be thinking about where they are going next. We got lucky this time. That luck will not last.

By: Sam Faddis

We are fast approaching the seventh anniversary of the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. I can vividly recall exactly where I was and what I was doing that day. I assume you can as well. It was one of those horrific, life changing events that ends up burned deep into your memory.



Seven years. That's a long time. During that time frame we have accomplished a lot. Airport security is dramatically better. Executing a 9/11 style attack today in the teeth of the measures taken since then would be a very tall order. That doesn't mean it would be impossible. It does mean all the men and women who have worked on the changes made deserve a lot of credit.



Afghanistan is no longer a safe haven for Al Qaida. True, there is a lot of fighting to be done there yet, but Al Qaida and the Taliban do not enjoy anything like the freedom of maneuver they had prior to 9/11. They are being pressed.



Even in the Pakistani tribal areas, which remain for Al Qaida its current primary safe haven, significant efforts are underway against the terrorist leadership hiding there. It is not enough. We may yet find that the next attack on our nation has its roots in Pakistan. However, it would be a mistake not to acknowledge the incredible exertions made. There are a lot of very good people putting their lives on the line everyday as they tackle this problem.



With all of the above said, however, I think it would be a very good idea for us to focus right now not on all that we have accomplished but on what we have not. Specifically, I think we ought to stop and take a look around at what has not changed right here at home.



In the course of your daily life how much of an impact do you notice from the "war on terror"? What security changes have you observed? How much more secure do the facilities you use appear? We are seven years into a war which is described as being a battle for the survival of "our way of life". What visible signs do you see that the government is actually approaching this struggle as if that were true?



Outside of airports, have you noticed any real changes in security for mass transit? Trains? Buses? Metro?



This area is filled with sporting arenas hosting both college and professional events. Do you see any measures in place when these events take place that look like they are designed to thwart attacks by serious, committed terrorists?



Think of all the other locations you frequent which might make good high profile targets and give them the same scrutiny. Courthouses? The Naval Academy? Public monuments in DC? Outside of a stray metal detector and an understandably bored security guard do you notice anything at any of these locations that looks like it would actually stop a team of trained individuals from carrying out an attack?



If so, you have seen something I have not. So, here's my suggestion regarding how to observe 9/11 this year. Keep your eyes open, and when you see a situation that looks like it calls for more vigilance and added security, tell somebody about it. Send an email to your State Senator or your Congressman. Write a letter to the editor. Make a call to the Mayor's office. Do something.



Let's observe 9/11 in the best possible of ways, by doing everything we can together to make sure it never happens again.

By: Sam Faddis

There is a sign over Route 50 that I see everyday when I am driving home from work. It's one of those electronic signs, the kind on which public interest messages are displayed. You know the ones I'm talking about. They usually advise of traffic snarls ahead, although in my experience it is people slowing down to read the signs who create most of the snarls.

Anyway, this sign usually has a message advising that people who see "suspicious" activity should call a "1-800" number and report it. Presumably, although it is not further clarified, this means suspicious activity, which might be related to terrorism or homeland security threats.

Now, I think the fact that someone is trying to get the general public involved in this "war" on terror is a fantastic thing. There is a general sense of complacency setting in across the country that I find very disturbing. Hysteria is not helpful. A healthy sense of vigilance would be.

Still, every time I see that sign I cannot help but wonder. What exactly qualifies as "suspicious"? And, how helpful is a sign like that to the average person without some sort of public campaign, which would educate the average citizen to what they are looking for?

I have spent most of my adult life working counter terrorism. Based on that I have a fairly clear idea in my own mind of the kind of indicators that would suggest that terrorists are preparing an attack. That doesn't make me a genius. It just means I have a lot of experience in a particularly arcane speciality. I doubt that most average (read normal) people have the same list running around in their heads.

The last Al Qaeda attacks on US soil were carried out by a small group of very select individuals. They had been recruited and trained specifically for the operation they carried out, the 9/11 attacks. Among other things, they had lived for long periods in the West and were very comfortable with living and working outside the Middle East. They dressed in Western clothing, observed Western customs and conducted all of their pre-attack planning according to some very specific and very careful methodology.

One would expect that the next attacks, when they come, will be at least as carefully prepared. It is not unreasonable to expect, in fact, that they will be more well crafted. They may, for example, be conducted by operatives, who, while Muslim, do not fit the stereotype of what most Americans expect Muslims to look like. They may be converts from within the United States or Europe. They may be from the Balkans.

However they are put together, the next attacks, if they are directed by Al Qaeda will not be crude, amateurish affairs. Stereotypically "Arab" individuals in traditional dress will not loiter across the street from the target in the days preceding an attack. Individuals speaking broken, accented English will not drive up to security gates of military installations or nuclear power plants and make alerting inquiries. Target selection, casing and evaluation will be carried out over an extended period of time via slow, patient, carefully thought out means.

Will there be indicators that the average citizen can detect? Yes, but only if a process of education enables them to do so. A sign over the highway is a good first step, and one I applaud. Let's follow it up with the necessary continued public information campaign to allow the population as a whole to assist in their own protection.

By: Sam Faddis

Like many folks, I have been reading with great interest over the past week about efforts by the Homeland Security and Intelligence Division of the Maryland State Police to monitor the activities of a number of local peace and anti-death penalty groups. I know from personal experience how difficult it is sometimes to really understand what is going on in regard to developments in the intelligence and security realm from reading the paper. The information available to the public is often incomplete and inaccurate. That said, having taken the time to read most of what has been written and having looked at the raw reports from the State Police, which are now available online, I am puzzled.

There has been a lot of talk about the civil liberties implications of this activity. I agree wholeheartedly with most of the concerns. The lifeblood of this democracy is the often unruly, free flow of speech and opinions. I think we ought to be very, very careful about domestic spying, and, when in doubt, I think we ought to err on the side of not doing it.

That said, my immediate concern here is more practical. We are in the middle of a worldwide struggle with a psychotic fringe element of Islam. This is a group that wants to hijack the entire faith, banish all Western influences and drag the entire Islamic World back into the Dark Ages. They are prepared, as they have demonstrated many times, to kill as many people as they have to, in as horrific a fashion as they have to, to carry out these aims. They regard us as their chief enemy, and the major impediment to their achieving their goals. They have hit us many times before. They will hit us again.

This is a real threat. It is not going away, and when you combine it with concerns about the spread of advanced technology and the proliferation of chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear weapons, it is truly terrifying.

What do peace groups and death penalty opponents have to do with any of this?

One of the prime targets of the State Police undercover operations was a gentleman named Max Obuszewski. Mr. Obuszewski, who I assume to be an American citizen of Eastern European descent, is a well known peace activist and pacifist. He believes strongly in the principle of civil disobedience. He has no record of violent activity nor of support for violent activity. You may agree with his politics. You may not. I think you have to admire his commitment.

How exactly is surveillance and infiltration of groups composed of individuals like Mr. Obuszewski going to take anybody in the direction of heading off the next 9/11? I have no doubt that the individual officers carrying out the operations in question did so with the best of intentions, and, frankly, a fair reading of their reports shows a calm, professional and detached approach. That said, how exactly were these operations going to make the citizens of Maryland safer?

Do we know what we are looking for, or are we just looking?

By: Sam Faddis

A few months ago I went up to New York City on the train with my cousin for some meetings concerning a book project with which we were involved. We bought the tickets online, caught the train at BWI and got off at Penn Station in Manhattan. It was a low-key, painless procedure and one that many readers of this blog have experienced.

I was shocked.

I spent most of the time from late 2001 through the summer of 2006 deployed to South Asia, Iraq and the Persian Gulf. I didn't think about it until afterward, but when I stepped on to the train for the trip to New York City, it was, in fact, the first time I had been on a train in the United States since before 9/11. How, I thought as I sat there looking around, was it possible that seven years into the "War on Terror" there were no visible changes of any kind to security on passenger trains in the United States? There were no security checkpoints, there was no screening of bags, there was not even an armed security presence to at least give the feel that someone was paying attention to what was happening. There was in short on impediment of any kind, no matter how small, to any terrorist attempt to stage an attack.

On March 13, 2003, a bomb went off in a train in Mumbai, India as it pulled into a station. It killed ten people and wounded seventy others. On July 7, 2005 a series of coordinated bombings struck trains in London. Fifty-two people died. Seven hundred were injured. On March 11, 2006 another series of coordinated bombings struck commuter trains in Madrid. One hundred and ninety-one people were killed. One thousand seven hundred and fifty-five were wounded. Mumbai was struck again on 11 July 2006. This time seven bomb blasts on trains over an eleven minute period left two hundred and nine dead and seven hundred wounded. Is it going to be a big surprise to anyone when the next target of such attacks is a major American city?

The guys we are fighting in this war are many things. Ruthless. Vicious. Evil. They are also smart, dedicated and adaptable. On 9/11 they succeeded not only in finding a way through our airport defenses but, actually, in a very sick, brilliant way of using our own procedures for dealing with in air hijackings against us. Now that we have spent billions on beefing up airport defenses and tightening procedures, the chances that terrorists are going to try some sort of frontal assault on those defenses is virtually nil. If we relax and leave them an opening, they will return to that methodology in a heartbeat. Until then, they are going to keep walking the perimeter, analyzing and planning and looking for what we have neglected.

We can't win this war by closing doors after terrorists have walked through them. At some point, we have to get ahead of the curve and one step ahead of the terrorists. Let's hope we do that with our rail system before we follow in the wake of Mumbai, Madrid and London.

By: Sam Faddis