Elaine Duke is the acting Secretary of Homeland Security, and while speaking at the United States embassy in London indicated that there are possibilities of another major Terror Attack. Her assessment is based on intelligence reports that point to extremists who are playing a waiting game. Their plan is to attack planes to inflict civilian casualties on a large scale.
She has served three US presidents and is an expert in such matters. She feels ISIS jihadists are still active and were carrying out terror attacks on a minor scale with specific objectives.
These, in her opinion, are to keep their members engaged, and their finances flowing. The intention is to carry out another 9/11 type attack.
Fears of another terror attack
New Zealand Herald reports that according to intelligence inputs, terrorist organizations like ISIS have an agenda to conduct more terror attacks, and are preparing along those lines. They could target an aircraft which would give them greater visibility, and boost the sagging morale of their members who are deployed to undertake smaller actions. The basic objective is to ensure that there is no let-up in terror-related activities.
Elaine Duke has reminded us that one of the major threats airlines face is the possibility that terrorists could blow up an aircraft in flight using a laptop.
In order to prevent this, it is necessary to exercise strict control over those who travel by air. The free movement of goods and people necessitates a tight security network, which is especially true for the United States where the level of threat is extremely high.
Elaborating on systems to counter terror attacks, she revealed that strategies are being worked out with focus on terrorist safe havens.
The problem of home-grown extremists is another aspect that is on the rise in America and it has to be tackled.
How to checkmate terrorists
During talks with British Interior Minister Amber Rudd, ahead of the G7 summit, the acting Secretary of Homeland Security said that one option to checkmate terrorists is within the purview of web giants.
They can evolve suitable safety mechanisms to detect extremist content that appears online. Tackling terrorism is a subject that is forcing the authorities to take a relook at existing security mechanisms.
Britain is also seized of the problem following recent terror attacks in Manchester and London. Police chiefs admit that the threat of terrorism in the UK is very real. MI5 director general Andrew Parker, Britain’s spy chief, has endorsed the warnings and has cautioned that terrorists exploit different methods to evade detection.
The 9/11 terror attacks in the United States that killed thousands of innocents, was engineered by suicide bombers belonging to al-Qaeda. To prevent a repetition, the security measures must be as foolproof as possible. Travel restriction on people from certain countries, and decision to ban laptops as cabin luggage could be made mandatory for all flights irrespective of the country of origin.
