Wildland Fires in Greece Blamed on Terrorism – Could it Happen in the US?

If you saw the earlier article in this blog, Greek Wildfires Blamed on Arson – Evidence of Terrorism, you might be wondering whether the same thing could be happening in the U.S.

After all, we have had a serious problem with fires in the U.S. earlier in 2007 (see Florida Drought, Wildfire, and Storm Preparedness News Roundup and Storm and fire updates).

According to this article, the answer is yes.

In 2003 an FBI memo alerted law enforcement agencies that an al-Qaeda terrorist being held in detention had talked of masterminding a plot to set a series of devastating forest fires around the western United States.

It was reported that the detainee, who was not identified, said the plan involved three or four people setting wildfires using timed devices in Colorado, Montana, Utah and Wyoming that would detonate in forests and grasslands after the operatives had left the country.

“The detainee believed that significant damage to the U.S. economy would result and once it was realized that the fires were terrorist acts, U.S. citizens would put pressure on the U.S. government to change its policies,” the memo said.

(Quoted from National Terror Alert Response Center: Pyro-Terror: Are Greek Wildfires An Act of Terrorism?)

From a firefighter’s perspective, with some spectacular photos, see:

Greek Wildfires: Terrorism or Lack of Firefighting Resources?

This site makes the valid point that, as with Hurricane Katrina in the U.S., the disaster revealed poor emergency preparedness. Inadequate firefighting equipment was a major factor in the delay in bringing outbreaks of fire under control.

Update 9/2/07:

• Greek fire toll rises to 64, as PM urges revamp

Update 9/17/07:

• Pyro-Terrorism – The Threat of Arson-Induced Forest Fires as a Future Terrorist Weapon of Mass Destruction
• The War Against the Greek State
• Greece: The Political Fall Out Begins

Update 10/24/07:

• Is there a terrorist connection with the California wildfires?

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Other posts that you might like:

1. Seven Suspicious Fires Monday Night in Yakima Valley
2. California Fire News Updates
3. Is there a terrorist connection with the California wildfires?
4. What about all of these unexplained incidents? Who’s connecting the dots?
5. Greek Wildfires Blamed on Arson – Evidence of Terrorism