Daily Alert Archives

What Do You Tell People About Terrorist Threats?

(TIME) Jeffrey Kluger- Publicizing security information not only gives targeted populations warning but could also cause the attackers - who may think intelligence officials are closer than they really are - to abandon their plans. The Shin Bet, Israel's internal security service, doesn't generally publicize threats unless it has solid evidence of an impending strike. But whenever it put up new checkpoints to thwart the terrorists, radio stations would report the traffic snarls that ensued, and the government would be forced to acknowledge the terrorism threat. The Israelis noticed that this often prompted bombers to put off their journey or to make cell-phone calls to their handlers for traffic information, sometimes enabling the Shin Bet to trace a bomber's location and capture him. Now when Israelis have hard evidence that a bomber is on the way, they will often announce it. Officials say dozens of terrorist attacks have been prevented that way.
2004-08-09 00:00:00
Full Article