Could Ambulances Be Used for Terror?
Aug. 18, 2004 -- The very lights and sirens that urge us to make way when we see and hear an ambulance approaching could be powerful tools in the hands of terrorists intent on using that very promise of help to camouflage a bomb.
Incidents using ambulances to deliver bombs occur with some regularity in the Middle East. Recently, 10 people were killed in one such incident in Iraq.
On Aug. 1, U.S. officials warned that al Qaeda terrorists could be planning attacks on financial institutions in New York City, New Jersey and Washington, D.C.
ABC News has learned that in the wake of that alert, authorities in the Northeast are investigating at least four incidents where people asked suspicious, detailed questions of firefighters and emergency personnel about how ambulances are operated — how fast they go, and when drivers should turn on the siren.
Health-Care Professionals Warned
These cases prompted very serious concern, and in the state of New Jersey, Attorney General Peter Harvey issued a written alert to law enforcement agencies.
"Within the past week, the Office of Counter-Terrorism received three reports of suspicious activity concerning ambulances," New Jersey Infrastructure Advisory Bulletin No. 143 began. "The most recent incident involved an individual who attended an open-house at an ambulance squad in Middlesex County.
"The man, who claimed he was from Pakistan and a physician, asked a series of questions to the squad members that related exclusively to the operation of the emergency vehicles, including the speed at which the vehicles responded to calls and the use of the lights and sirens," it said."The individual appeared very nervous, did not ask about patient care, and left the premises when asked to complete a membership application."
The other two incidents cited in the New Jersey bulletin were equally specific in nature, and according to Sidney Casperson, director of the state Office of Counter-Terrorism, a warning was also sent to those in the health-care professions. They were told to keep their guard up.
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