Oil tankers on al Qaeda hit list
Terror group al Qaeda considered hijacking and detonating oil tankers in waters off non-Muslim nations to damage the Western economic system, according to documents seized from Osama bin Laden's compound in Pakistan, the Associated Press reported.
The FBI and Department of Homeland Security said al Qaeda sought information on the size and construction of oil tankers, and determined that blowing them up from the inside would be easiest due to the strength of their hulls, according to a confidential warning, obtained by the news cooperative, that was sent to federal, state and local law enforcement, and companies in the oil and gas industries.
Hijacking oil tankers and other commercial vessels is a tactic successfully used by pirates operating out of Somalia who seek large ransoms in exchange for returning the crew and vessel.
A DHS spokesman confirmed to the AP that al Qaeda members maintained interest last year in targeting oil tankers and commercial oil infrastructure at sea, but he and other officials said there was no specific or imminent threat and that officials don't know whether the group continued plotting in 2011. The desire to attack the oil sector was characterized as something al Qaeda aspired to, but did not appear to have executed any plans to achieve.
Government officials similarly described al Qaeda's interest in attacking the U.S. rail sector after reviewing documents recovered during the raid in which bin Laden was killed by U.S. Special Forces.
The warning encouraged companies to continue random screening, warn employees about possible threats and establish procedures for reporting suspicious activity, the AP said.
Oil tankers on al Qaeda hit list
