Texas among 3 targets in alleged al-Qaida plot
State officials vow to watch situation on eve of election
Law enforcement officials said they are remaining vigilant in the wake of a report that Texas is a possible target for a pre-election terror attack on Monday, but would neither confirm nor deny reported warnings of an al-Qaida plot to shed blood on U.S. soil.
Gov. Greg Abbott said Friday his office is monitoring the situation and in close coordination with the Texas Department of Public Safety.
“Texans should go about their daily lives as usual but remain vigilant over the next several days and report any suspicious activity to state or local law enforcement,” he said. “The state of Texas will continue to do everything it can to ensure the safety and security of its citizens.”
The FBI said it is working on a daily basis to assess intelligence and disrupt any potential threats.
“The counter-terrorism and homeland security communities remain vigilant and well-postured to defend against attacks here in the United States,” said FBI Special Agent Shauna Dunlap, spokeswoman for the FBI’s Houston Division.
CBS News reported on Friday sources had confirmed that U.S. intelligence has alerted joint terrorism task forces that al-Qaida could be planning attacks in three states for Monday, the day before Tuesday’s election.
“It is believed that New York, Texas and Virginia are all possible targets, though no specific locations are mentioned,” CBS notes.
Houston Police spokeswoman Jodi Silva said antiterror efforts are regularly ongoing.
“We don’t confirm any specific threats. However, we are always monitoring and assessing the environment and take actions accordingly,” she said.
Fred Burton, a terrorism expert for Stratfor, an Austin-based global intelligence firm, said the latest buzz words are “overabundance of caution,” meaning that until proved otherwise, it has to be assumed that
groups are planning attacks.
“When isn’t al-Qaida trying to kill us?” said Burton, who previously worked in counter-terrorism for the State Department.
“I would argue that alQaida has never stopped planning attacks since 9/11,” he said. “If you have an organization that certainly has the United States in its gun sights, this date is certainly one of those that counter-terrorism officials have to take seriously.”
No matter whether the plot is valid, Burton said it is all but impossible to prevent all types of attacks. He added that the key unknown for anyone outside of the key law enforcement and intelligence agencies is the source of the threat.
“I have no confirmation of the credibility of this information, but having said that, how difficult is it to pick up a machete or drive a truck into a crowd?” he said.
“I’m confident that the FBI has a good enough handle on the interdiction of any massive 9/11 type strike, but I don’t think you can stop every potential lone wolf that decides to act under the name of alQaida,” he said. “That is the problem.”
A Houston man who pledged his allegiance to ISIS and plotted to detonate homemade bombs in local shopping malls pleaded guilty last month to a terrorism-related charge.
Omar Faraj Saeed Al Hardan, a 24-year-old father, stockpiled circuitry components, wireless remotes and other bombmaking implements in his west Houston apartment, according to court documents.
He faces up to 20 years in federal prison at a January sentencing.
Authorities began investigating him in April 2014, looking at his communications with other suspected terrorists and monitoring his social media posts.
“I will make a widow of you,” he told his wife in a call intercepted by authorities. “You will get a phone call with news of my death.”
Burton, the Stratfor expert, said significant dates, such as the presidential election, always bring the potential for terrorism, but counter-terror agents face a double-edge sword.
“If you elevate your collection efforts for looking for these threats, you will find them,” he said, “but whether or not on an operational level there is actually any tactical plan is a whole other kettle of fish.”
U.S. Sen. John Cornyn urged vigilance in the wake of the threat of election-eve terror attacks, saying people should follow the “see something-say something” rule.
“It’s obviously cause for vigilance, and the fact of the matter is the FBI director has said there are open homegrown terrorist investigations in every FBI field office in America,” Cornyn said, answering questions from reporters after a speech. “The terrorists obviously starting with alQaida have now morphed into the Islamic state, ISIS or ISIL, but what they’re doing now is effectively using social media and the internet to inspire people here in America to take up arms and to kill innocent civilians.
“So I’m confident that they are doing the best they can, but the threat is proliferating, and obviously the ability they might have to disrupt the election and make a big impact, they’re going to take advantage of that.”