'Blunder' blamed for warning confusion - U.S. and Australia

[dArKeR]

Australia's intelligence officials are blaming a bureacratic blunder for a minsunderstanding between Australia and the United States over a new terror warning.

The US Department of Homeland Security is now planning to issue a revised alert to the airline industry.

The original warning listed Australia as a possible target for an Al Qaeda mission.

The Howard Government has been pressuring US officials to revise that alert.

They have now agreed to do that. Instead of naming Australia as a target, it will highlight the country as a possible "point of origin" for terrorists planning to hijack flights to attack the US or Britain.

Australian Security Intelligence Organisation chief Dennis Richardson believes an honest, bureaucratic mistake by the US was the problem.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/s914477.htm

http://www.geocities.com/darkerxdarker/index.html

[KeepItReal]

1. Australia not the target now...just the threat?

And they are happier about that???

:wtf:

[MercutioATC]

2. It's all about the tourism dollars...

.

[NYC]

3. Interesting how "terra alerts" are designed not to interfere with

commerce instead of being designed to benefit people.

[yellowcanine]

4. Doesn't make sense

It wouldn't make sense for hijackers to take a flight that originated in Australia and attack a U.S. or European city with the plane - the fuel would be used up and the overall impact would be much less than a plane with a full fuel load. Also, I would think that a flight originating in Australia would have a full or nearly full load of passengers as well - only way those flights pay for themselves. A full load of passengers is the last thing suicide hijackers would want - too great a risk the passengers would thwart the hijacking - especially a load of crazy Aussies. Of course all of these DHS alerts are so much bs anyway - who thinks they have any relation to what might actually be going on?