Pick a spot, they're trying to target it...
A top Taiwanese intelligence official confirmed for the first time on Monday that the island had been targeted by Osama bin Ladenâs Al Qaeda network and had beefed up security. âThrough international information co-operative channels, the National Security Bureau has four times received warnings saying Taiwanâs airports could come under attack by the Al Qaeda network,â the bureauâs deputy chief, Huang Lei, told the parliament. The cabinetâs ad hoc anti-terrorism group had heightened its state of alert, he said. The National Police Administration (NPA) recently increased surveillance of airports, seaports, foreign embassies and representative offices, an NPA official who declined to be identified told AFP last week. The Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA) also planned to deploy air marshals on passenger and cargo flights as part of its security plans, a CAA official said, declining to elaborate due to the sensitivity of the issue. The Taipei-based China Times daily, citing unidentified NPA officials, had said Al Qaeda operatives could hijack Taiwanese planes to attack the United States and its close allies. It added that the NPA had demanded heightened security around power plants, reservoirs, railways, bridges, tunnels and other major infrastructures to thwart any possible attacks. |