American Cities Prepare for Mumbai-Style Attack

Using small arms and explosives, teams of terrorists fan out to attack hospitals, hotels and other institutions.  This is what happened recently in Mumbai, India, and American cities are preparing for similar assaults.  For more than three days attackers terrorized the Indian city, causing the deaths of over 200 people.  Can U.S. cities respond effectively to similar assaults?

Writer David A. Patten found than many authorities believe police forces would be overwhelmed.  If we have many targets being attacked, we would have our hands full trying to respond.  The New York City Police Department is asking public and private security forces to report anything suspicious.  In fact, just before the Mumbai attack there were rumours of an attack on the New York subway system. 

Other cities and hotel chains are beefing up security.  In addition to foreign terrorists, American authorities are concerned about domestic terrorists trying to copy the tactics used in Mumbai, with hotels seen as especially vulnerable.  What homeland security experts want to do is to use the Coast Guard to prevent groups like al-Quaeda from getting into the United States in the first place.

Writers Fred Burton and Ben West have found that the Mumbai attack was not all that original.  Fifteen years ago, al-Quaeda formulated a plan to attack New York City landmarks.  Tactical teams would raid the Waldorf-Astoria, St. Regis and U.N. Plaza hotels.  They would also blow up the Holland and Lincoln tunnels, which would close off escape routes.

The city would be shut down.  Gunmen would be running wild and chaos would reign.  This would continue until the terrorists were killed or arrested.  You will notice that this scenario closely follows what actually happened in Mumbai.  In Mumbai’s best hotels, attackers killed people and held hostages.  Other teams assaulted strategic targets and created chaos and confusion throughout the city.

The architect of the New York plan and the architect of the Mumbai plan may have been one and the same.  Both plans had similar weapons, methods, targets and an unconventional style.  Although the attackers in Mumbai were eventually captured or killed, terrorists consider the operation to be a success.  Therefore, it is possible that American cities could be subjected to similar plots in the future.