9/11: America is Already TakingExtraordinary Measures

It does not matter if it is hot or cold. Every day, tourists wait for their turn to the guided tour over the Ground Zero’s perimeter, the New York area of 65,000 meters ravaged on September 11, 2001, when two airplanes crashed into the Twin Towers and 2,752 people died in a giant suicide attack.

But they do not know that, for some time now, as the 10th anniversary of the terrorist blow comes closer, their visit to Ground Zero, where the cranes and laborers still work, is being watched much more attentively, as part of the increase in security measures that has already started.

Ground Zero is not the only location: Authorities confirmed that airports, border crossings, sporting events, and means of transport have increased their security checks, as a result of the numerous people visiting the main cities of the country, including New York.

“We know this is a significant date. Other than taking physical precautions, we have not been briefed on any specific threat other than the obvious — knowing what this date means in our history,” says Sean Duggan, assistant police chief in Scottsdale, Arizona.

America has blocked several plans of attack since the day when, in 2001, almost 3,000 people died. “The risk that we are especially concerned over right now is the lone-wolf terrorist,” President Barack Obama said, weeks ago, when talking about the different range of challenges the country has to face, regarding security matters.

He referred to the risk that may involve action from an organization identified with al-Qaida, action from isolated cells, or action from individuals acting autonomously.

Encouraged by the closeness of such a sorrowful date, the debate for security had unexpected reactions, such as the acknowledgement that, after 10 years, America has failed to initiate nine of the 41 recommendations on anti-terrorist security suggested by a parliamentary commission created after the attacks.

“There are still issues that need to be addressed,” said White House Press Secretary Jay Carney. “I think, overall, we continue to be intensely focused on taking the fight to al-Qaida and the terrorists who threaten the United States.”

Representatives of both parties — Republican Thomas Kean, and Democrat Lee Hamilton, two of the former chairmen of the commission — pointed out that the application of biometric systems to track foreigners who cross American borders, as well as a true coordination and standardization of those controls in the different accesses, are still pending.

On the 10th anniversary, an official function with relatives of the victims will be held, and a day after, on 9/12, a new, evocative space will be open, the access to which will be free (with previous reservation). It is expected to be visited by thousands of people this year.

Security, meanwhile, moves through unforeseen twists and turns. Among them is the publishing industry, where a battle has broken out between the CIA and a former FBI agent, who worked for years against Al-Qaida and the CIA.

Apparently, the former agent, Ali Soufan, wrote a book on his years of espionage, and the CIA intends to censure long paragraphs of the text.