Terrorist groups have a known interest in carrying out an attack on US schools or buses. Reportedly, in 2004, American troops located material during raids in Iraq pertaining to US schools. Additionally, in September 2004, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) issued notices to school districts in six states indicating that photographs, diagrams, and emergency plans had been found in the possession of several unidentified individuals.
In the past several months, concern has grown over the possibility that terrorists could carry out an attack on school buses or use these vehicles as weapons in a strike against the United States. To such extremists, US schools, and particularly school buses, are an attractive possible target for an attack for several reasons, including:
– School buses have a high concentration of individuals in a small place, increasing the likelihood that an attack would result in a large number of casualties.
– School buses are more vulnerable than other potential targets as they travel along miles of roads that often lack a high level of security. Drivers also travel consistently along the same routes.
– An attack on a US school bus would have an enormous psychological effect, particularly among parents, as approximately 24 million children in the US ride buses to school every day.
As terrorist groups have a known interest in carrying out an attack on US schools or buses, the need for greater security measures to protect this infrastructure is apparent. However, despite efforts to increase security for school buses, significant vulnerabilities remain.
Previous Terror Activity Related to Schools
Terrorist activity in other countries has exhibited the potential for extremists in the US to employ such a method in an attack.
– In June 2006, Canadian authorities arrested 17 individuals planning to carry out attacks in southern Ontario. The men were allegedly inspired by al-Qaeda, although had no connection to the group. Among those arrested was Qayyum Abdul Jamal, a school bus driver. While it is not known if Jamal planned to use his position for any attack, the ability of such an individual to gain employment as a bus driver is cause for concern.
– In September 2004, Chechen militants took more than 1,200 children and adults hostage at a school in Beslan. The standoff continued for three days, before Russian forces invaded the school. The ensuing clashes killed 331 individuals and wounded at least 700 others .
One case in the US also highlights the potential for extremists to carry out an attack on, or using, school buses in the homeland.
– Mohamad Kamal El Zahabhi, a Lebanese national, worked as a school bus driver for First Student in Minnesota. In the early 1990s, Zahabhi attended a terrorist training camp in Afghanistan and engaged in combat in both Afghanistan and Chechnya. Allegedly, he also later told FBI agents that he was an instructor at a jihadist school. While it is not known if Zahabhi worked as a bus driver to simply gain money or if he intended to use his position to gain access to schools, his terrorist past indicates the potential for extremists to obtain such employment in the US.
Recent Suspicious Activity
Several events and reports over the past year and a half have increased fears over a potential attack on US school buses.
– In August 2007, an investigation discovered that 17 school buses were stolen from charter schools, business schools, and private bus companies in the Houston area over several months. Local police stated that there was no known threat, however maintained that the thefts were a national security concern.
– In March 2007, the FBI issued a cautionary bulletin to police stating that members of extremist groups have signed up as school bus drivers in the US. The report also noted “suspicious activity” by foreigners who either drive school buses or are licensed to drive them. However the FBI stated that there was no indication of any terrorist plot against the homeland.
– In May 2006, two men from Saudi Arabia got on a school bus traveling to a local high school in Tampa, Florida, and were arrested after students alerted their substitute bus driver. According to local police, the two men gave evasive answers to authorities when undergoing questioning, gave different answers when asked why they boarded the bus, and originally stated that they were from Morocco.
– Reportedly, hundreds of school bus radios have been stolen in various states in the Northwest.
While authorities have not discovered any connection to terrorism in most of these instances, they raise concern about the potential threat facing the US school transportation system.
Future Implications
In order to combat potential future threats, several school districts in Virginia have announced that they will no longer list school bus stops in newspapers or on the Internet for several reasons including parental disputes, abductions, and terrorism. Additionally, there are increased calls by some state authorities, particularly in New York, for quicker and more thorough criminal background checks on all school bus drivers.
While progress has been made to protect US schools, efforts vary by state, thereby leaving numerous gaps in security on a nationwide level. Additionally, a large number of schools and related institutions post their emergency plans and other important information on the Internet, increasing the potential for extremists to gain access to this sensitive material.
While school buses remain one of the safest ways for students to travel to and from school, it is important for authorities to increase efforts to secure this infrastructure, in order to prevent a potentially devastating attack on the US homeland.
