Authorities Issue 9/11 Anniversary Warnings

Despite the dire warnings each year, signs are that the terrorist threat is inflated

The FBI and the Department of Homeland Security have issued nationwide advisories about possible al Qaeda threats from small airplanes, less than a week before the 10-year anniversary of the September 11th terrorist attacks on New York and Washington.

Despite assurances there are no credible expectations of any specific attack, a bulletin released Friday said terrorists have considered renting private planes and loading them with explosives.

“Al Qaeda and its affiliates have maintained an interest in obtaining aviation training, particularly on small aircraft, and in recruiting Western individuals for training in Europe or the United States, although we do not have current, credible information or intelligence of an imminent attack being planned,” according to bulletin quoted by the Associated Press.

In anniversaries past, similar warnings have been issued only to introduce another peaceful yearly remembrance of that day. In fact, the National Safety Council has recently found that Americans are 1048 times more likely to die from a car accident than from a terrorist attack.

The warnings come across dire to many, starkly contrasting CIA Director-turned-Defense Secretary Leon Panetta who consistently downplays the strength of al Qaeda. But the national security state has a habit – and an interest – in inflating the terrorist threat to an historically paranoid American population.

Author: John Glaser

John Glaser writes for Antiwar.com.