Fitchburg Sentinel & Enterprise
WASHINGTON — With a slight glitch or two, the apprehension of the unsuccessful terrorist in New York was accomplished with remarkable speed that signals emphatically to the world that the United States has come a long way since Sept. 11, 2001, in meeting this kind of challenge. Just maybe we are no longer the patsies we once were. That isn’t to say that we also haven’t been lucky with a couple of bumbling bombers, but when confronted we respond more quickly.
Why? On the official side of the counterterrorism effort there seems to have been unparalleled improvement in the cooperation among local, state and federal law enforcement agencies, not only in this case but several other recent attempts by would-be jihadists. That includes the planned bombing in the New York subway system.
The FBI, under the direction of Robert Mueller III, has dramatically improved its lines of communications with other federal agencies and law enforcement generally and wisely centered a large hunk of its operations on counterterrorism. As a frequent critic of the bureau’s arrogance and past exploitation of law enforcement organizations at every level, it is refreshing that the new bureau has gotten the message, at least when it comes to fighting terrorists.
The other agencies in the departments of Justice and Homeland Security also appear to have come fully awake. It was an alert Customs officer who caught the name of the fugitive Pakistani-American Faisal Shahzad on the Emirates Airline passenger manifest to Dubai after the FBI team tracking him lost contact in the welter of traffic. It was one of the few glitches. The fact that Shahzad had made his reservation unusually late and paid by cash caused the airline to notify authorities. Still, nothing in the system prevented him from receiving a boarding pass although he was already on the no-fly list.
On the public side of the equation, the official anti-terrorist forces have been significantly bolstered by just plain Americans much more alert now to the potential horror lurking around them. Things that once might have seemed ordinary now are noticed and thoroughly vetted by vigilant citizens whose quick action on a number of occasions helped to avert disaster. In two instances airline passengers subdued those who would have caused enormous damage and death, albeit after the terrorists fumbled their assignment. There was none of that sitting timidly by while their lives petered out in the madness of religion, as was the case of 9/11 with one notable exception.
This time it was the keen eyes and judgment of New York’s Times Square vendors that helped save the day. Seeing a few whiffs of smoke from an SUV that shouldn’t have been where it was, the vendors quickly called it to the attention of the police and even helped move people back. These denizens of Broadway were as proud of themselves as the rest of us were of them. They effectively dispelled the image of uncaring brusqueness in which many Americans regard the average New Yorker.
The message being sent to the likes of the Taliban and al-Qaida is pretty clear. Not only do they face an enhanced official mechanism, their efforts now must get past a wary U.S. public. As a result it took only 53 hours and 17 minutes from the time the bomb-loaded SUV was spotted and reported until the culprit was in custody, bringing the highest praise from President Obama as it should have.
As has been the case in other failed attempts, the government learned lessons that will generate security improvements. There will be a demand that airlines pay closer attention to the no-fly lists, particularly after Shahzad almost slipped through the fingers of authorities as the plane was preparing to leave. There also will inevitably be more inconveniences for American travelers, tourists and major city dwellers.
Hopefully, it won’t mean shutting down routes to otherwise vulnerable targets as it has in this town. Obviously closing off the streets around Times Square to motor traffic would be terrible, changing the nature of one of the most popular tourist areas in the nation.
Inevitability is on the side of the terrorists, but we have improved our chances.
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