ISIS derailment threat?

[Don Newcomb]

I was watching Fox News last night and they were discussing low-tech terrorist threats. One threat seems to be attempting to derail Amrtak trains, the faster the train, the better.

 

[the_traveler]

Amrtak trains, the faster the train, the better.

With Amtrak, that is not a worry! :giggle:
Seriously, I'm not overly concerned. Taking out 1 bridge on the road would impact more people. As much as I hate to admit it, most people in the US don't care about trains! And the most dangerous portion of the trip is the drive to and from the station.

 

[cirdan]

Amrtak trains, the faster the train, the better.

With Amtrak, that is not a worry! :giggle:
Seriously, I'm not overly concerned. Taking out 1 bridge on the road would impact more people. As much as I hate to admit it, most people in the US don't care about trains! And the most dangerous portion of the trip is the drive to and from the station.

Sure.

But terrorsist are not really trying to kill the greatest number of people, but are trying to create fear by acrrying out attacks that attract a lot of attention and make people afraid to go out and do things.

A derailed and wrecked train with lots of ambulances around it makes for very powerful and emotional TV footage.

And of course if people become of afraid of travelling by Amtrak, this could hurt Amtrak's balance sheet very badly.

 

[Skyline]

Amrtak trains, the faster the train, the better.

With Amtrak, that is not a worry! :giggle:
Seriously, I'm not overly concerned. Taking out 1 bridge on the road would impact more people. As much as I hate to admit it, most people in the US don't care about trains! And the most dangerous portion of the trip is the drive to and from the station.

Sure.

But terrorsist are not really trying to kill the greatest number of people, but are trying to create fear by acrrying out attacks that attract a lot of attention and make people afraid to go out and do things.

A derailed and wrecked train with lots of ambulances around it makes for very powerful and emotional TV footage.

And of course if people become of afraid of travelling by Amtrak, this could hurt Amtrak's balance sheet very badly.

No matter how remote a terrorist attack on Amtrak might be, it would be foolish not to be vigilant. Passengers, staff, and even the non-travelling public should be constantly reminded "if you see something, say something."

I agree with others here that there are more visible targets--whether by ISIS or domestic terrorists like those who instigated and committed violence during "Unite The Right" in Charlottesville last weekend. (Right-wingers have typically been at the top of the list of those wanting to kill Amtrak by peaceful means, so it's not a stretch that terrorists within their midst might go further.) BUT--I agree with Cirdan that the spectacle of a bloody Amtrak crash and the recovery scene would be something terrorists of any stripe would applaud.

 

[jis]

Just provide some actual background before we get overly excited....

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2017/08/14/al-qaedas-propaganda-magazine-inspire-calls-for-train-attacks-in-us-europe.html

 

[Lonestar648]

The Terrorists probably saw the publicity and the concern about the Philadelphia accident. Also seeing what the impact was with the closure of the NEC even for limited time frame. They also know how important the passenger train infrastructure is in Europe, so they may incorrectly apply some of that to the US.

 

[me_little_me]

If they want to go after the fast trains, they should skip Amtrak and go after the freights. The Amtrak trains are always sitting in the sidings. :giggle:

 

[SarahZ]

Meh.

You have one squillionth of a chance of dying in a terrorist attack versus dying in a car crash. And yet, people hop in their cars every day with nary a thought about it. On the other hand, you mention flying to someone, and it's "ZOMG TURRORISTS".

As the gent (O'Hanlon) in the article pointed out, subways are a more likely target. We've all seen what happens when even just a portion of a major metro transit system is shut down.

Also, let's not forget all of these terrible incidents of vans and the like driving into crowds of people. What's next? We stop walking everywhere?

 

[Seaboard92]

I hate to be that guy to find an upside but there might be an upside in this as well. It means that passenger rail in the United States is relevant enough to attack.

And it could make it easier to lobby for money as well to improve the safety of trains. So as much as I hate to say there could be a plus.

 

[Thirdrail7]

I'm not too worried about Amtrak being a target. If they investigate long enough, ISIS will have the same findings as Al-Qaeda!

Please allow a few, brief "fair use" quotes from Al-Qaeda Claims U.S. Mass Transportation Infrastructure Must Drastically Improve Before Any Terrorist Attacks *

*(This is from the Onion)

"The al-Qaeda network is fully prepared to continue the jihad against the American infidels by launching deadly attacks, but your outdated and rusting transportation infrastructure needs to be completely overhauled for those strikes even to be noticed," al-Zawahiri said. "We want to turn your bridges into rubble, but if we claimed credit for making them collapse, nobody would ever believe us."

"We'd really just be doing you a favor because then you'd actually have to rebuild them," al-Zawahiri added.

The al-Qaeda commander confirmed his organization initially hoped to cripple travel in the United States by destroying its nationwide high-speed rail system, but had been shocked to discover no such thing exists. Calling it a cost-efficient, modern way of travel that would serve as a boon to small businesses and the national economy, al-Zawahiri implored U.S. officials to invest in not just one high-speed passenger train network, but many of them, so they could all be blown up simultaneously in a signature al-Qaeda attack upon the nation's major population centers.

Their opinion on Amtrak sums it up:

He also revealed the terrorist organization had wasted six months planning to take down Amtrak's regional operations before realizing that with its constant delays and malfunctions, the government-owned passenger train service basically terrorizes itself."

"We spent countless hours on training, surveillance, and intelligence-gathering for absolutely nothing," al-Zawahiri said. "We falsely assumed that disrupting key Amtrak lines would instill fear and cause chaos throughout the nation. Unfortunately, the overall impact and limited number of casualties wouldn't even make it worth the effort."

 

[SarahZ]

He also revealed the terrorist organization had wasted six months planning to take down Amtrak's regional operations before realizing that with its constant delays and malfunctions, the government-owned passenger train service basically terrorizes itself."

 

[snvboy]

1) Fox (and just about all cable news these days, but especially Fox) is in the business of anger, fear, and hysteria. Take it all with a grain of salt. As others have pointed out, you are at a MUCH greater risk of many, many, many more things in the USA than you are from terrorism of any kind. And if you ARE killed in a terror attack, it's more likely to be a homegrown anti-government type than it is from ISIS.

2) And even IF you are on a train that is derailed by ISIS, you can probably blame the homegrown whackjobs that inspired them: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1995_Palo_Verde,_Arizona_derailment

3) You'll probably survive the derailment, no matter who or what causes it.

4) Don't ever go to the salad bar. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1984_Rajneeshee_bioterror_attack

5) fear is exactly what the terrorists want, no matter what their religion or politics. Be vigilant, but be smart and be sane and unafraid.

 

[Acela150]

He also revealed the terrorist organization had wasted six months planning to take down Amtrak's regional operations before realizing that with its constant delays and malfunctions, the government-owned passenger train service basically terrorizes itself."

my-sense-of-humor-things-i-things-that-find-funny-6132134.png

Yooooooo! I died! This is classic!

 

[TinCan782]

He also revealed the terrorist organization had wasted six months planning to take down Amtrak's regional operations before realizing that with its constant delays and malfunctions, the government-owned passenger train service basically terrorizes itself."

my-sense-of-humor-things-i-things-that-find-funny-6132134.png

:giggle:

 

[willem]

He also revealed the terrorist organization had wasted six months planning to take down Amtrak's regional operations before realizing that with its constant delays and malfunctions, the government-owned passenger train service basically terrorizes itself."

my-sense-of-humor-things-i-things-that-find-funny-6132134.png

I tried to post an image of a Get Out of Hell Free card. Enjoy it at the link.

When I try to post the image either as a .png or a .pdf, I get the error message "You are not allowed to use that image extension on this community." Sorry for the derailment, but what is the trick to posting an image?

 

[neroden]

IIRC, the Basque separatists and Al-Qaeda committed a number of terrorist attacks against trains in Spain. They basically gave up because it wasn't an effective method of terrorism. Not very many people got killed or injured and the reaction was low-key.

They had more psychological impact attacking shopping malls. I suspect that any would-be terrorist attacking trains would learn the same lesson pretty much immediately.

The US, of course, has had one famous terrorist attack on Amtrak, never solved: the derailment of the Sunset Limited in 1995, which required very careful work jumpering the track circuits before disconnecting the tracks. Did it have any social impact? Can't think of any. It's an ineffective tactic for terrorists, and as a result, terrorists aren't going to do it. Contrary to what you might think, most terrorists aren't stupid -- they're trying to create a specific social result by spreading terror. Bin Laden achieved total and complete success with the 9/11 attacks because Bush reacted exactly the way bin Laden wanted him to. The train bombings and derailments in Spain didn't have the effect the terrorists were going for, so they stopped doing that.

 

[trainman74]

When I try to post the image either as a .png or a .pdf, I get the error message "You are not allowed to use that image extension on this community." Sorry for the derailment, but what is the trick to posting an image?

Convert from .png to .jpg if you're attaching, or link directly to an image on a site that allows such things (such as imgur.com).

(I actually keep one of these cards in my wallet, branded for a different website. Just in case.)

 

[Bong101]

Tsk tsk, oh.. I hope this wont spoil my plan this September.. Its my first train ride in US.. can't wait to see the beauty of America..