Element of Surprise

Reports indicate that al-Qaeda continues to be interested in striking by air:

The United States has credible information, including some that prompted this week’s rise in the national terror threat level, that al-Qaida continues to study potential weaknesses in America’s revamped aviation security net looking for ways to strike again through the air, U.S. officials familiar with recent intelligence say.
. . .
“The information clearly shows they care about getting ahold of airplanes with large fuel supplies in areas with lots of people, and to do it in a way that comes in below our radar screen,” said one senior U.S. official with access to intelligence, speaking only on condition of anonymity.
. . .
“You would think there are a lot of softer targets out there that wouldn’t take as much work,” said Douglas Laird, a former Northwest Airlines security chief who now advises clients on aviation security. “What baffles me is I just don’t know what they (al-Qaida) would do to make it happen now.”
But Laird said an aviation attack continues to have appeal to the terrorist mind. “The airlines are always going to be a good avenue because it strikes the fear of God in the public to have an airliner sabotaged. It generates lots of coverage,” he said.
U.S. officials said debriefings of terrorists show al-Qaida continues to value an attack via aviation because its leaders believe such an attack would have both dramatic effects on America’s economic superiority and because it would strike at an important symbol of Western freedom.

I don’t have a habit of sitting around contemplating terrorism strategy, but it seems to me that one of the reasons 9/11 was so successful was because it caught authorities off guard. Presumably, that’s more difficult to do now via aviation. So if al-Qaeda is planning another air strike, they’ve either found a fairly soft spot to exploit, or they’re pretty hard-headed. Mr. Laird’s comment seems on point.