Qaeda Attack in U.S. Likely to Be More Catastrophic Than London Bombings

Stephen E. Flynn, the Council on Foreign Relations’ top expert on homeland security, says that the well-coordinated July 7 bombings in London indicate that al Qaeda or its affiliates remains a deadly threat in Western Europe. “I guess it’s clear that al Qaeda retains a footprint, an organization, in Western Europe,” he says. “This appears to be a very well-organized, well-rehearsed, simultaneous attack.” The risk for the United States, he says, is that, while al Qaeda may have a smaller presence in the United States, it is more likely to husband its limited resources for a more devastating attack. “If they took three years to put a footprint down, they’re not going to squander it on something that, while newsworthy, doesn’t have a really disruptive impact. They’re not going to risk their limited resources on a lower-end attack.” Full Story