Scenario:Attack the Olympics
Scenario
Attack the Olympics in some way.
Description
The September 11 attacks taught terrorists a great deal. Three of the most important lessons were these:
- Choose a high-visibility target
- Choose a target that will get high media coverage
- Stage the attack so that it unfolds over several hours.
Compare Timothy McVeigh's attack with September 11. McVeigh picked a relatively obscure Midwestern town, and he planted one bomb. There is only so much coverage you can get out of a federal office building that has already been blown up. On September 11, the drama unfolded all morning. The first plane hit a high-visibility target (the World Trade Center) in the media capital of the world. All cameras focused on the target. Now, with full media coverage (and the nation's attention), they attacked the second tower. Then they attacked the Pentagon. Then the first tower collapsed. The second. And so on. The attack was a day-long drama. And the drama of the attack unfolded with everyone watching, so it had far more impact.
To duplicate the success of September 11, one strategy would be to pick an event with high media attention and let a series of attacks unfold. The Superbowl would be one choice, but the venue is too small for a multi-part attack. The Olympics would be a highly prominent target. There are thousands of media outlets covering the games, and there will already be millions watching from around the world at any given moment. There is also the symbolism of attacking an event built on peace and world understanding.
Because of its media prominence, the Games have been attacked multiple times. In 1972, terroists breached security at the Munich games. Palestinian terrorists kidnapped Israeli athletes, and 11 athletes eventually lost their lives. The terrorist sought the release of prisoners. In 1996, a pipe bomb exploded in an Olympic venue, killing two and injuring over 100. This attack seems to have been a random act by a lone individual.
There are many different ways to attack the Olympics, depending on the terrorist's goals:
- As seen before, kidnapping athletes is one strategy. The terrorists then make demands with their hostages.
- Random bombings, ranging from package bombs to truck bombs to jumbo jets, could disrupt the games and kill thousands.
- Terrorists might try attacking the host city, outside the actual Olympic security perimeter, since the proximity to the games will guarantee world-wide media coverage. The attack could involve any sort of bombing.
- In the book Rainbow Six, Tom Clancy proposed the following scenario. Terrorists developed an Ebola-like virus, and then used a misting system at the Summer Games in Sydney to spread the virus to thousands of spectators at the closing ceremonies. These contagious international spectators would then return to their homes to spread world-wide contagion. In Clancy's book, the goal of the terrorists was to eliminate humanity for environmental reasons. The plot was foiled at the last minute.
- A chemical or biological attack using a ventilation system in an Olympic venue could kill thousands.
The terrorists could range from lone individuals (as in Atlanta) to established terrorist organizations to Al-Qaeda cells, to corporations (as in Rainbow Six).
Damage Potential
The primary damage from any Olympic terrorist event is psychological rather than monetary. An attack sends a signal to the world that the terrorists and the forces of evil are in charge rather than the forces of good. In the case of the 1972 games, the media attention might also give terrorist some leverage when making demands.
Potential damage includes:
- Loss of life -- thousands of spectators could be killed at an event
- Structural damage -- A bomb could cause millions of dollars in structural damage
- Ending the games -- A severe event would likely end the games that year, and potentially threaten the continuation of the games.
Potential Solutions
As you will see from several of the links below, the solution to terroist incidents at the Olympics involves security. Solutions include:
- Screening all spectators with metal detectors, as in airports
- Searching all packages carried by spectators
- Automated facial recognition systems detecting the faces of known terrorist
- A tight, military security perimeter around the games
- A large armed presence on-site to quickly respond to an attack
- Securing the airspace
- Securing the athletes
- Allowing no parking anywhere near an Olympic venue
- Securing all employees constantly. An inside job would be the easiest way to sneak a chemical or biological agent in.
- In this article: "Last fall, they took radiological surveys of the Olympic venues. If any spikes are noticed during the games, there is a nuclear response team that they can call."
As described in this article, the 2002 Winter Olympic Games used all of these strategies effectively.
Related Links
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