Rep. King Echoes Pres. Obama's Worry About 'Lone Wolf' Terrorists
NEW YORK (WCBS 880/AP) - For ten years, we've heard the term "intelligence chatter," but here's the problem, if there's only one person involved in the terrorist plot, there is no chatter.
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Long Island Rep. Peter King, who chairs the House Homeland Security Committee, says that leaves investigators to focus elsewhere.
"Then you look for weapons sales. You look for, for instance, purchase of explosives. So, you try to track that down [to] see any type of unusual activity," he told WCBS 880 reporter Peter Haskell.
CBS News national security analyst Juan Zarate says this is a major challenge.
"That's really the nightmare scenario for counterterrorism officials - individuals who are intent, capable, and willing to take matters into their own hands," he said.
Authorities say there are no specific threats at this time.
President Barack Obama says a "lone wolf'' terror attack in the U.S. is more likely than a major coordinated effort like the Sept. 11 attacks.
Obama says a "lone wolf'' attack would be one like what happened in Norway last month, when one person killed dozens of people, apparently with little or no outside support.
Still, Obama says the U.S. government is monitoring all potential terror scenarios and is not letting its guard down. And he says there may be "a little extra vigilance'' in monitoring potential terror risks as the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks approaches.
King says we shouldn't think that terrorists don't have 9/11 circled on their calendars.
"This would be an ideal opportunity for Al-Qaeda to get revenge for what happened to [Osama] Bin Laden," said King, who adds that he has the utmost confidence in law enforcement.
(TM and Copyright 2011 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2011 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
