Sounds like the authorities are pretty damn concerned about the alleged terrorism plot supposedly masterminded by a Denver-area airport shuttle driver:
Law enforcement officials say the alleged terror plot against New York City may be “still alive” despite the arrest of its alleged ringleader, 24-year-old Najibullah Zazi of Denver, Colorado.
“I have never been so worried,” said one senior law enforcement official with more than a dozen years of experience in counter-terrorism investigations.
In Washington, the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security issued a bulletin to law enforcement authorities urging vigilance at so-called “soft targets” including sports stadiums and luxury hotels.
ABCNews.com reported Monday that Zazi’s computer contained information relating to New York area baseball and football stadiums and a video of Grand Central Terminal in New York.
Earlier, the FBI and Homeland Security had warned police about possible attacks on mass transit targets but said there was no evidence of any specific target or timing.
You’d think that, if this plot is the real deal, and given that the terrorists would obviously have to know that the authorities are “onto them,” the plot would either be called off — or accelerated. (That is, if it wasn’t already scheduled to happen very soon.) They’ve got to think that, if they wait a couple of weeks or more, the whole thing could unravel.
About those “baseball and football stadiums”: FWIW, the Yankees have home games against the Red Sox this Friday, Saturday and Sunday at 7:05, 4:10 and 1:05 PM, respectively, followed by a Monday-Wednesday series against Kansas City. Then they’ll have some home playoff games, of course. The Mets, for their part, are at home tonight and tomorrow at 7:10 PM against the Braves, then return home next weekend, October 2-4, against Houston; after that, their season ends. The football Giants are on the road until October 11, but the Jets host Tennessee this Sunday at 1:00 PM.
Yankees Stadium holds 52,325 people, and will certainly be at or near capacity for the Red Sox series. Citi Field, where the Mets play, has a capacity of 41,800 (though I wouldn’t imagine that their final series of a crappy season would be sold out). Giants Stadium, where both the Giants and Jets play, holds 78,741.
“Citi Field, where the Mets play, has a capacity of 41,800 (though I wouldn’t imagine that their final series of a crappy season would be sold out).”
I was at Citi Field over the weekend for a couple of entirely inconsequential games against the Nationals; 38,000+ people showed up for each game. Not sold out – but pretty full.
So I have to TiVo all that crap to catch the attack LIVE!!! Let me help the FBI or Homeland Security and say that the attack will take place during a Jets game, because Mark Sanchez and the Jets have gotten me back interested in the NFL after about a 15 year layoff. This goes back to my promise that a disaster would strike when I finally bought a house and 3 months after I bought my house in July 2007 the entire housing market collapsed and it’s worth about 60% of what I paid for it. So basically, I always get screwed.
Jets stadium, gonna blow. Write it down.