Al Qaida's reach reduced - analyst

Abu Dhabi: Al Qaida's global reach has been minimised since 9/11, said a US-based expert on terrorism.

Speaking at the World Security Forum yesterday at the capital, Ambassador Michael A. Sheehan, who formerly served as the Deputy Commissioner of Counter Terrorism for the New York City Police Department, said that everyone expected Al Qaida to follow up the dramatic attack on September 11 with similar attacks.

"Why have they not attacked the US again? Why did they not smuggle a bomb in a container and blow it up or shoot people at a shopping mall? Everyone expected it," he remarked.

However, such an attack did not happen primarily due to the increased cooperation between intelligence agencies all over the world following 9/11, he noted. "Intelligence cooperation is the single most important reason why Al Qaida has been rolled up around the world," he said.

Completing 30 years of public service and having authored a book, Sheehan is currently a terrorism analyst for NBC News and a fellow at the New York Centre on Law and Security, apart from being the president of an international consulting firm providing a wide range of safety and security risk management services.

"Al Qaida, when left alone, is a very deadly organisation,", he said, adding that they were able to launch three strategic attacks against the US in three years prior to 9/11.

Activity

But over the past seven years there has not been any attack, which proves that they do not have a strategic reach. "Since the last seven years, they have been limited to conducting attacks on the West, one in Madrid in 2004 and another in London in 2005. But they have shown strong resilience in the Afghan-Pakistan border area."

"So they are still around and have great resilience in some pockets but their global reach has been minimised", he noted.

There has been dramatic improvement on intelligence cooperation among counties ever since 9/11, Sheehan said, which has resulted Al Qaida's "diminished activity".

"Funding for Al Qaida comes from money given directly to the organisation as well as funds siphoned off legitimate money raised for humanitarian causes.".

Understanding the enemy, protecting the most vulnerable parties and material within the city that could be used by terrorists (such as radioactive materials in hospital), partnerships with different agencies and limiting psychological effects of a terrorist attack are some of the important steps in tackling terrorism, Sheehan said.

Event: Security forum opens

With an eminent line up of experts from all over the world converging at the capital, the World Security Forum began on Tuesday at the Emirates Palace Hotel.

In his speech, Lieutenant General Shaikh Saif Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Interior Minister, reiterated the UAE's commitment in possessing one of the world's best emergency systems with a high readiness to carry out timely and efficient rescue work.

"The World Security Forum is of great importance in strengthening efforts to upgrade security systems in the region and in exchanging expertise with specialised establishments concerned", the minister said in the speech read out by Lieutenant General Saif Al Sha'afar, Undersecretary at the Ministry, on his behalf.