Terrorists are targeting Channel tunnel

The Observer is reporting that the CIA has informed the French that the threat of a terrorist attack on the Channel tunnel is "sky high".

According to the French sources, the plan was put together in Pakistan and is being directed from there. The plotters are believed to be Western Europeans, possibly Britons of Pakistani descent. The DGSE say that levels of 'chatter', the constant communication that takes place between militants, has not been so high since 2001. Last week Sir Ian Blair, the head of the Metropolitan Police, described 'the threat of another terrorist attempt' as 'ever present' adding that 'Christmas is a period when that might happen'.
'It is a far graver threat in terms of civilians than either the Cold War or the Second World War,' he said. 'It's a much graver threat than that posed by Irish Republican terrorism.'

American security sources told The Observer that the threat was 'sky high'.

The news of the threat to the Channel Tunnel comes as Eurostar trains transport record numbers of passengers heading home for Christmas and as fog continues to affect flights to and from the continent.

More than 8 million passengers travelled on Eurostar trains last year. Staff on the line went on strike earlier this year in protest at what they said were lax security arrangements.

'A successful attack on such an installation would be almost as spectacular as September 11', said one terrorist expert. 'Al-Qaeda and those they inspire are trying everything from low-level strikes to major attacks on critical infrastructure.'

Unfortunately, while counterterrorist agencies will hopefully foil any attacks against the tunnel and other transportation hubs and arteries in Europe, this report will most likely cause many travelers to choose a different means of travel or cancel travel entirely during the Christmas holiday. This means that the terrorists have already succeeded to a limited extent by causing us to change the way we behave. Hopefully, the majority of travelers will flip the terrorists a collective middle finger by continuing to use the tunnel.