Washington, D.C.
The Bush administration recently held a meeting of airline officials to warn that al Qaida might try to shoot down passenger jets with shoulder-launched missiles, according to a Salon.com report attributed to unnamed sources this week. The black market is awash in portable missiles, and the CIA suspects that terrorists recently smuggled some into the U.S. One security expert told Salon that the missiles, which could take down a plane as it approaches or leaves an airport, are “aviation’s dirty little secret.” Former Air Force officer Todd Curtis said that if a “dedicated person wanted to shoot down a plane, there’s nothing to stop them.” The administration provided the private missile warning at the same time the FBI said al Qaida was planning “spectacular attacks” that could bring “mass casualties” and “severe damage to the U.S. economy.”
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