What could possibly go wrong? Concern about Islamic jihad terrorism is, as we all know, a manifestation of “hatred,” “bigotry” and “Islamophobia.” But here, this is what could go wrong: “Disclosure of the curtailed exercise comes as al Qaeda recently issued new threats to conduct car bomb attacks in Washington. Details of the car bombing campaign were contained in the latest issue of the English-language magazine ‘Inspire,’ published by the Yemen-based Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.” “Feds Curtail Major Counterterror Exercise in Washington,” by Bill Gertz for the Washington Free Beacon, April 1 (thanks to Matthew):
The White House sharply curbed a major counterterrorism drill scheduled for Tuesday in Washington that was designed to test the federal government response to threats of car bombs attacks and a chemical weapons strike on the Metro subway system.
The exercise, code named Eagle Horizon 2014, was cut back instead to small-scale communications checks within federal agencies.
The transfer of government functions through groups of emergency personnel located at remote secure locations as part of so-called “continuity of government” operations was scrapped, according to Obama administration security officials.
Disclosure of the curtailed exercise comes as al Qaeda recently issued new threats to conduct car bomb attacks in Washington. Details of the car bombing campaign were contained in the latest issue of the English-language magazine “Inspire,” published by the Yemen-based Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.
The magazine urged Muslim youth to attack Americans with car bombs and provided detailed instructions for making the devices from easily available components, such as groups of small propane tanks used in cooking grills.
General targets were listed as Washington and New York and specific local targets were suggested for attacks on restaurants in Arlington and Alexandria as well as Washington, D.C.’s M Street designed to kill or injure “high-profile personalities,” the magazine states.
“Inspire Magazine’s goal is to empower Muslim youth. … In this section, we give you strength, power and intelligence. Believe me, using car bombs gives you all that,” the magazine said in a section called “open source jihad.”
The magazine also identified Northern Virginia as a major locale for the use of car bomb attacks because of the region’s “big military presence—almost all the military bases are based in this state.” The magazine also called for attacks there because of “federal agencies in Northern Virginia, including the headquarters of the Department of Defense and CIA; and military facilities in Hampton Roads, the site of the region’s main seaport.”
Dan Watson, a spokesman for the Federal Emergency Management Agency, confirmed that the exercise was reduced but declined to provide details….