# The Next Al Qaeda Attack? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 24, 2009, 7:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-next-al-qaeda-attack/482778 "2009-01-24T07:45:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2009, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-next-al-qaeda-attack/482778/61 "2009-01-29T02:39:29Z")
True, no 9/11 sized attacks but they’ve stopped a number of low level attacks. Given the 9/11 MO there would be a grandious attack after having spent 10 years planning for it. The first WTC bombing resulted in a laptop file that showed an attack using aircraft. Why they took so long to execute it I can’t say. I thought it was poorly planned as it was but maybe I give terrorists more credit then they are due. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2009, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-next-al-qaeda-attack/482778/62 "2009-01-29T13:30:28Z")
> [@yojimbo](#): > > You don’t need nukes etc. to do the damage. You just need to make as many people as possible to question their safety and let human nature take care of it self. Such a plan would be a lot easier to carry out than a “major” single attack IMO and possibly even more damaging to the US psyche. Even if a tiny nuclear bomb were planted that produced no more of an explosion than a large stick of dynamite, it would have a psychological effect because it would have “crossed the line”, something like the US’s proposed uses of small nukes in the last 50 years. Such “tactical warheads” have generally been opposed, not because of the extent of the damage, but the nature of the device, on the theory that once you cross that line, there’s no going back; you can’t put the genie back in the bottle and other metaphors. ---
**Author:** ![ianzin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/ed655f/32.png) [@ianzin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ianzin)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2009, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-next-al-qaeda-attack/482778/63 "2009-01-29T15:10:36Z")
> [@The\_Man\_With\_The\_Golden\_Gun](#): > > What I wonder is, what’s stopping AQ from just getting ten or so operatives, give them machine guns, and tell them to go nuts on a few random elementary schools I’m from the UK. An English comedian was mentioning something similar just a week ago. He was pointing out that terrorists who want to bring the city of London to a grinding halt don’t really need masasive weapons or intricate plans. A quarter of an inch of snow does the job magnificently. Want to bring our train network to a standstill? No bombs needed. Just scatter a few leaves on the line, and your work is done. ---
**Author:** ![ivan\_astikov](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/58f4c7/32.png) [@ivan\_astikov](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivan_astikov)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2009, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-next-al-qaeda-attack/482778/64 "2009-01-29T15:19:40Z")
> [@ianzin](#): > > I’m from the UK. An English comedian was mentioning something similar just a week ago. He was pointing out that terrorists who want to bring the city of London to a grinding halt don’t really need masasive weapons or intricate plans. A quarter of an inch of snow does the job magnificently. > > Want to bring our train network to a standstill? No bombs needed. Just scatter a few leaves on the line, and your work is done. And the 7/7 bus and train bombs caused only a blip in peoples confidence about public transport…although any Asian with luggage was looked on a little suspiciously for a while. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2009, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-next-al-qaeda-attack/482778/65 "2009-01-29T16:37:46Z")
> [@ivan\_astikov](#): > > although any Asian with luggage was looked on a little suspiciously for a while. Didn’t the British Police shoot someone at a train station? ---
**Author:** ![yojimbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yojimbo/32/232_2.png) [@yojimbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yojimbo)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2009, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-next-al-qaeda-attack/482778/66 "2009-01-29T17:49:25Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > Didn’t the British Police shoot someone at a train station? [Jean Charles de Menezes](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean_Charles_de_Menezes) Poor bastard. ---
**Author:** ![Quintas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/48db29/32.png) [@Quintas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quintas)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2009, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-next-al-qaeda-attack/482778/67 "2009-01-29T23:08:51Z")
> [@Captain\_Carrot](#): > > I think the 4th plane (the one that the passengers took back and landed in PA) was heading for the Capitol. that was some rough ‘landing’. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-next-al-qaeda-attack/482778.md?page=3)