Washington, DC – Expert: Penn Station Likely Next Target for Bombers

Washington, DC – Experts studying the use of IEDs that have wreaked havoc among U.S. troops in Iraq warn that the deadly bombs will likely be exploding here sometime in the near future.

“There are going to be a bunch of p——off Iraqis and foreign fighters, and I think it’s just inevitable they’re going to try it here,” terrorism expert Peter Bergen said. “It could be five years from now or 10 years from now, but that’s the potential threat.”

To illustrate how catastrophic it would be if the tactic were imported to New York, he details what the results would be if backpacks filled with nails, plastic explosives and cell phone triggers were scattered around Penn Station and Madison Square Garden, especially if left near gas and power lines. Simply by dialing the cell phones, the block could become an inferno.
A top cop familiar with countermeasures at MSG and Penn Station said he enters the site every morning with dread, wondering, “Is this the day?”

Today, the Garden is one of the most heavily protected places in the city. Garden security, MTA and Amtrak workers, NYPD cops and the National Guard are trained to spot anything out of place. But most of the half-million people who commute through Penn Station each day carry bags – and they aren’t screened.
“There is no doubt we’re susceptible,” the law enforcement official admitted.
“How are you going to stop it?” wondered a senior FBI counterterrorism official. “Why it hasn’t happened yet beats me.” [NY Daily News]