Missing car plates sets off terror alert

October 30, 1:17 PMNY Law Enforcement ExaminerFred Hetner

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Courtesy:Sartechnology-Oklahoma City Bombing

 October 30, 2009 - New York:

A statewide terror alert was issued by authorities after 'numerous' license plates were allegedly stolen from Homeland Security and police vehicles in upstate New York according to local sources. New York City Counterterroism Bureau reported that an unidentified person stole 'numerous license' plates from Homeland Security vehicles near Albany, New York about six weeks ago. License plates were also stolen from two patrol cars. It is unknown if the license plates were stolen to assist in committing crimes, but NYPD Counterterrorism officials have advised that anyone "manning traffic-control points should not allow access to restricted areas solely upon an 'official license plate'.

The use of official vehicles to evade suspicion at checkpoints has been noted over and over again including:

• Members of al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula attacking an oil processing plant in Saudi Arabia using vehicles painted to look like official vehicles.
• Senior UN relief worker transported explosives to terrorists in Gaza using a UN vehicle.
• Ten terrorists dressed in army uniforms and armed with assault rifles and grenades entered the heavily fortified Pakistani Army HQ in a private vehicle bearing military plates.

A weapon of choice for terrorists is the VBIED (Vehicle Born Improvised Explosive Device). The devastating attack on the Federal Office Building in Oklahoma City in 1995, was executed by having a truck full of explosives blow up in front of the building. This horrific act of domestic terrorism was the most significant act of terrorism on American soil until the September 11 attacks in 2001. The Oklahoma City bombing was committed by Timothy McVeigh, an American militia movement sympathizer. The explosion killed 168 and injured 680 people.

According to the Department of Homeland Security, the Vehicle Born Improvised Explosive Device is seen as a deadly, sometimes mass destruction force and a potential weapon of mass destruction. It is being used in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan and is fast becoming the weapon of choice for terrorists all over the globe. VBIED's come in many forms from buses, cars, trucks, boats and even airliners. Security and law enforcement officials think the unthinkable when it comes to terror in general but especially so with a VBIED.

ATF Car Bomb Table: Courtesy ATF web site

The FBI in the past have issued warnings of  VBIEDS', possibly disguised as limousines. The fears were prompted by a document seized from al-Qaeda titled "Rough presentation for gas limo project." It lays out a scenario for using limousines to deliver bombs equipped with cylinders of a flammable gas. The document recommends concealing bombs in limos because the vehicles "blend in" and can transport larger payloads than sedans. The vehicles can also "access underground parking structures that do not accommodate trucks." In NYC alone there are hundreds of limousines that travel throughout the city each day.

Final thought: It is important to remember that there are current domestic hate groups and extremists just like the Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh active in all 50 states. Any of the means described above could be used in the United States during a terrorist attack. The design and implementation of these devices are only limited by how much the bomber has surfed the internet.