Department of Homeland Security Head Michael Chertoff has repeated the same fearmongering warning he made last year - he is worried "earth shattering" terror events are likely to be carried out soon.
Once again, Chertoff provides no specific details, he simply reminds Americans that they need to remain afraid of phantom terrorists:
"If you're asking me what keeps me up at night or what I most worry about -- in the short term, obviously, you worry about homegrown terrorists or somebody coming in with an explosive device or the kind of act of violence or terror that we've actually seen occasionally carried out in this country by people who are simply nuts or like a Timothy McVeigh." Chertoff told WTOP news.
"But in the longer run, in terms of something that would really be earth-shattering, the kinds of things I'm worried about are a nuclear or a dirty bomb attack or a nuclear or biological attack." Chertoff continued, citing the motive of toppling the already teetering US economy.
The threat from "Al Qaeda" is not over, Chertoff is at pains to remind us, "Just look at what's happened in the last year." he adds, referring to the fact that two men, since proven to be totally unconnected to "Al Qaeda", set a jeep on fire and drove it towards Glasgow airport in Scotland last August
It was just last July that Chertoff cited a "gut feeling" when warning that Al Qaeda may attack the US, at the same time admitting there was not enough evidence of a pending attack to raise the nation's threat level.
He then toured the country warning attendees to his speeches that his gut feelings included simultaneous Los Angeles / San Francisco dirty bomb attacks.
Chertoff's hunches were much maligned by critics and spurred MSNBC's Keith Olbermann to lay out possible explanations for "Mr. Chertoff's remarkable revelations about his transcendently important, counter-terrorism stomach."
In recent times Chertoff has expressed disdain for those who have described the "war on terror" as hype, even taking a swipe at the 9/11 truth movement.
He is always keen to focus on his assertion that the internet is a breeding ground for terror and has publicly predicted that the next attack will be carried out by home grown web radicalized terrorists.
"I also think that the preparations that we need to have in place to deal with this threat are going to take a while to build, and we're building them as we speak." Chertoff concludes in the interview.
"But they're not going to be done in six weeks or even six months. So what is important is to stay focused on making the investments now that we will be very grateful for in several years if someone does get their hands on nuclear materials or a biological agent."
In other words, be Afraid, and stay afraid America.
