Read the highlighted part below, and you will see who officials are saying are possible terrorists....Having been on Public Transportation, to me it would descibe 75% of people riding, especially now in 90 plus degree heat. Could statements such as the one below cause someone to get attacked, or worse, who happens to be sweating more than others, or is wearing too much cologne? Could such generic statements cause mass hysteria, something that officials want to avoid? Yes, we need to be aware of the situations around us, and need to be on the lookout, but it seems like we could get some better indicators of who is most likely to actually be a terrorist.
U.S. transit officials urge riders to be more vigilant
Associated Press Writer
July 26, 2005, 3:29 PM EDT
WASHINGTON -- Subway and commuter train riders must take a greater role in their own security to help thwart a London-style transit attack in the United States, officials told Congress Tuesday.
Transit security officials from New York City, Los Angeles, and the nation's capital, stressed the importance of low-tech solutions, like asking the public and transit workers to be on guard for suspicious behavior.
"The most important technology that is out there, right there today, is the human element," said William Morange, head of security for New York's Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which operates the city's subways, buses, and commuter trains.
New York subway and bus riders are being told to look out for passengers with clenched fists, or who are sweating profusely, or reek of excessive cologne _ all possible indicators of a suicide bomber."It's very important that our customers and our employees are fully made aware of their surroundings, and that's something that falls on us," Morange told a House Homeland Security subcommittee.
High tension in New York's streets and tunnels was dramatized Sunday when police surrounded a double-decker tour bus after a company supervisor reported male passengers looking suspicious. Mayor Michael Bloomberg has since apologized for the handcuffing of the five British tourists, and urged emergency callers "to exercise common sense."
After Tuesday's hearing, the head of emergency response for Los Angeles' transit system said he believed a London-style terrorist attack was "inevitable."
"I and my colleagues already believe that terror cells are here," said Paul Lennon of the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Authority.
Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y., who chaired the hearing, said he supported additional funding for technology and training, but did not want the government to repeat the overspending mistakes that followed the 2001 terrorist attacks.
But another Republican, Rep. Dave Reichert of Washington, a former sheriff, said it was time the government did more to pay the everyday salary costs for police forces who assign officers to anti-terrorism work.
"They feel like ... the federal government has let them down," said Reichert. "We need help in providing personnel, especially when it comes to the metro systems."