Al-Qaeda considered oil tankers as terror targets

The FBI and Homeland Security Department are telling law enforcement around the country that al—Qaeda was considering plots to hijack oil tankers in non—Muslim waters and blow them up, according to an intelligence bulletin obtained by The Associated Press.

May 20, 2011 08:39 pm | Updated November 17, 2021 01:13 am IST - Washington

A Palestinian vendor stands next to a photo of  late Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, at his shop in the West Bank town of Jenin. File photo: AP.

A Palestinian vendor stands next to a photo of late Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, at his shop in the West Bank town of Jenin. File photo: AP.

The U.S. government says al—Qaeda was eyeing oil tankers abroad last year as potential targets of terror attacks to hurt the economies of Western countries.

The FBI and Homeland Security Department are telling law enforcement around the country that al—Qaeda was considering plots to hijack oil tankers in non—Muslim waters and blow them up, according to an intelligence bulletin obtained by The Associated Press.

There is no intelligence pointing to a specific plot or threat.

It was not immediately clear whether the details about the attack method were coming from Osama bin Laden’s compound.

U.S. intelligence officials are sifting through a treasure trove of information coming out of materials taken from the former terror leader’s hideout in Pakistan earlier this month after he was shot and killed by Navy SEALs.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.