Terrorist Attacks Shake U.S. Infrastructure

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Unprecedented, coordinated terrorist attacks against U.S. economic and military centers of power have immobilized the nation's air traffic and disrupted telecommunications and transportation infrastructure, emergency services, and government operations.

In the aftermath of a deadly coordinated attack involving multiple hijacked aircraft that were deliberately crashed into the World Trade Center towers in New York City and into the Pentagon, a large portion of the nation's economic infrastructure has come to a standstill.

The Federal Aviation Administration has shut down air traffic at all of the nation's airports. Likewise, government agencies here--including intelligence agencies--have evacuated all nonessential personnel. Public transportation in and out of the nation's capital has been shut down, and telecommunications networks are overloaded with emergency communications. All available hospital personnel in the Washington, D.C. area have been summoned to work to set up emergency trauma centers, and the U.S. Air Force has flown several combat air patrols in the skies over the city.

A spokesperson for the Federal Bureau of Investigation's National Infrastructure Protection Center says it is too early to estimate the extent of the damage around the country. Officials could give no word of how many casualties have resulted from the attacks or if there were any advance warnings or intelligence on the attack. Washington, D.C. police officials say publicly that they are responding to 911 emergency calls only.

Traditional Weapons Worst

The events around the nation highlight what government and private sector experts have been saying for years: The threat of cyberterrorism is far outweighed by the threat posed to the U.S. homeland by traditional, more violent, forms of terrorism.

A report published in June 2000 warns of the danger of focusing too heavily on cyberterrorism and ignoring the traditional tactics employed by the world's terrorist groups. That report, "Countering the Changing Threat of International Terrorism," published by the National Commission on Terrorism, concludes that the tactics and goals of the world's terrorist organizations remain low tech.

"A growing percentage of terrorist attacks are designed to kill as many people as possible," the report stated. "Guns and conventional explosives have so far remained the weapons of choice for most terrorists."

Terrorists groups, such as the organization led by Osama bin Laden, have yet to demonstrate that they value the relatively bloodless outcome of a cyberattack on the nation's critical infrastructure. This latest round of attacks support that conclusion.

Online Caution Urged

However, Ben Venzke, a terrorism expert and chief executive officer of IntelCenter, says there "is no way to be sure that we are done with this yet." Venzke adds that the threat to overseas installations remains real, as does the threat to other U.S. installations from possible bombs and unaccounted-for commercial aircraft.

While cyberterrorist attacks have the potential to eclipse traditional forms of terrorism, Venzke says, "as of today, terrorists know how to hijack planes and how to place car bombs." Rather than shift to online forms of terrorism, "they've opted for scale," Venzke says.

In a recent interview, Frank Cilluffo, a cyberterrorism expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C. says traditional forms of terrorism are still the clear and present danger for the U.S. homeland.

"Maybe Osama bin Laden's grandchildren might engage in cyberterrorism," Cilluffo says. "What I do see is smarter targeting of bombs," he adds.