I haven't seen this posted already this morning. If it has, and I missed it, I'll delete.
Update [2006-7-7 10:58:31 by Stand Strong]: - CNN now reporting:
A man is being held in Beirut, Lebanon, in connection with a plot to blow up tunnels in New York, counterterrorism sources told CNN.
Yet
Sources told CNN that the Holland Tunnel -- the southernmost link between New Jersey and Manhattan -- was not mentioned specifically as a target.
"At this time, we have no indication of any imminent threat to the New York transportation system or anywhere else in the U.S.," FBI Special Agent Richard Kolko said Friday.
In fact,
But sources told CNN that the Holland Tunnel was not mentioned specifically as a target.
I'm calling bullshit.
Daily News
The FBI has uncovered what officials consider a serious plot by jihadists to bomb the Holland Tunnel in hopes of causing a torrent of water to deluge lower Manhattan, the Daily News has learned.
The terrorists sought to drown the Financial District as New Orleans was by Hurricane Katrina, sources said. They also wanted to attack subways and other tunnels.
...
The News has learned that at the request of U.S. officials, authorities in Beirut arrested one of the alleged conspirators, identified as Amir Andalousli, in recent months. Agents were scrambling yesterday to try to nab other suspects, sources said.
They didn't indicate how many people were the target of the international dragnet but said they were scattered all over the world.
...
U.S. agents were allowed to take part in the interrogation of Andalousli, a source said.
FBI and New York City Police Department officials would not comment yesterday about the investigation, which has been kept under wraps for months.
The plotters wanted to detonate a massive amount of explosives inside the Holland Tunnel to blast a hole that would destroy the tunnel, everyone in it, and send a devastating flood shooting through the streets of lower Manhattan.
...
Sources said that New York City officials believed the plan could conceivably work with enough explosives placed in the middle of the tunnel, which runs underneath the river bed, a source said.
But others doubted the plot was feasible.
...
Besides bedrock, the tunnel is protected by concrete and cast-iron steel.
Experts also said that even if the tunnel cracked, the Financial District would not be flooded because it is above the level of the river.
If the plan was to flood the financial district, and as authorities say, the plan was sophisticated, as mentioned by the knowledge of 'blast effect' in the plan, wouldn't they have considered the basic idea that the area to be flooded should be at least at river level, or otherwise, while it may be subject to a temporary presence of water due to a surge, otherwise, being above the river level would leave it otherwise high and dry?
Are these intelligent, sophisticated terrorists we're talking about or complete morons? I can't tell anymore these days, what with all the hurbis and chest-beating in recent weaks about disrupted threats, North Korea, Zarqawi, etc...