More on the cyanide in the subway plot

NY Times:

United States authorities in 2003 were concerned that Al Qaeda operatives had made plans to carry out a chemical attack on the New York City subway system, according to two former counterterrorism officials. But American intelligence authorities concluded that the plot ultimately had been abandoned, the officials said.

Plans for the attack, which some officials came to believe was called off by a senior member of Al Qaeda, called for using an improvised device to release cyanide into subway cars or other public spaces, said the officials, who would not be named because of the sensitive nature of the information.

The details of the suspected plot were first reported yesterday on Time magazine's Web site, which said the information was contained in a new book by the author Ron Suskind. The magazine is publishing excerpts of the book, "The One Percent Doctrine," in this week's issue.

"We were aware of the plot and took the appropriate precautions," Paul J. Browne, the New York Police Department's chief spokesman, said yesterday when asked about the report. He declined to comment further.

That the sprawling, underground subway system is a possible target for terrorists has long been a concern for law enforcement. After the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, the subways received increased police patrols, particularly at the entrances to each of the 16 underwater tunnels. Moves by the Police Department to secure and monitor a system that carries nearly 5 million people a day along 656 miles of tracks reflected the increased jitters about a possible attack.

In February 2003, the counterterrorism arm of the department issued orders for officers to look out for anyone using improvised weapons, like light bulbs laden with chemicals, that could be released in the subways. Officers were ordered to be vigilant and prepared for the release of such substances in densely populated areas.

That same month, city hospitals were wrestling with the issue of how to treat anyone exposed to cyanide. Hospitals were seeking to increase their stocks of medical antidotes to cyanide and other toxic substances, preparing for any potential mass triage.

It is unclear whether those efforts, in February 2003, were linked to knowledge of the alleged plot by Al Qaeda operatives to attack the city's subways.

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The chances are remote that al Qaeda dropped this plan because of a lack of will. It is an organization without inhibitions when it comes to mass murder. More likely al Qaeda had a problem implementing their objective, perhaps because it was discovered. Since much of its strategy is media driven, it could be they felt the value of a failed operation in the media would hurt their unstopability message they have tried to convey. Now that the plan has been revealed, it could be they will try again to show they can't be stopped. That has certainly been a part of their strategy in Iraq where they mount militarily insignificant attacks against non combatents just so the media will blame the US for not stopping them from their wicked ways.