Terrorist attack - could this happen?

[EternalOptimist]

rag heads

the current set of beardies could be deterred by threatening to nuke Mecca in retaliation

[richard-af]

the current set of beardies could be deterred by threatening to nuke Mecca in retaliation

Didn't know they were allowed to play Bingo.

[Diver]

Didn't know they were allowed to play Bingo.

[Churchill]

If you want to bollox London then why not blow up the SS Richard Montgomery?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Richard_Montgomery

1500 tons of explosives brewing nicely right on the capitals doorstep...

[Euro-commuter]

Blowing up Seattle will have every American reaching for their pump action shotgun and GW for the button. It would make the crusades look like a playground fight, anyone with a long beard or in a burka would be a target.

That is exactly what Al Qaeda wants. Bin Laden didn't attack the US in order to kill a few thousand out of spite, he did it in order to provoke the US into attacking the Islamic world so hard that it would recoil and drive out the infidel invaders, especially from the holy land of Saudi Arabia, and take their Saudi traitors with them.

He has tried an increasing range of attacks (WTC car bomb, USS Cole, Embassy bombs, 9/11) but has so far signally failed to provoke the US into an attack big enough to raise the entire Muslim world against them. Somehow I don't think he's planning to stop now and leave it at that.

[daviejones]

Islamic terrorists obtain nuclear warhead. Maybe old Soviet unit for some hard dollars from their friends with oil and money to burn.

Place into private jet or even old container ship.

Go to USA (fly in or sail up to Eastern port of USA) and detonate. A few martyrs and a lot of dead people on the ground.

Would make 9/11 look like kids stuff.

Is this a possibility?

What do our military types think?

Hi everyone...an interesting first post from me but I think the intelligence services would be onto this before they got very far.

Although I do believe working in intelligence and working with it are 2 very different things.

[Churchill]

And you could probly make it go with the Holy Handgrenade of Antioch...

I suppose so. Especially if you want a "Holy" war.

Then did he raise on high the Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch, saying, "Bless this, O Lord, that with it thou mayst blow thine enemies to tiny bits, in thy mercy."

And the people did rejoice and did feast upon the lambs and toads and tree-sloths and fruit-bats and orangutans and breakfast cereals...

Now did the Lord say, "First thou pullest the Holy Pin. Then thou must count to three. Three shall be the number of the counting and the number of the counting shall be three. Four shalt thou not count, neither shalt thou count two, excepting that thou then proceedeth to three. Five is right out. Once the number three, being the number of the counting, be reached, then lobbest thou the Holy Hand Grenade in the direction of thine foe, who, being naughty in my sight, shall snuff it."

[richard-af]

I wonder how many real, honest-to-goodness, nukes there actually are?

All the Superpowers ever had to do was detonate a biggie in the sea, to show that they have the technology, and then build enough (not that many, really) for some sort of "defence". The thousands of others could simply be "blanks", to give the impression of a vast stock of nukes.

Thus, there'd in reality only be a few true nukes to look after. Hence, not much of a possibilty of beardies getting their hooks on the real deal.

Just a thought.

[richard-af]

Somehow I don't think he's planning to stop now and leave it at that.

I thought the general consensus of opinion was that Bin Beardie had knocked his pipe out about a year ago.

[wendigo100]

I thought the general consensus of opinion was that Bin Beardie had knocked his pipe out about a year ago.

He is not al qua'eda. To say he is is like saying that Eamon Holmes is the Manchester United fan.