Maintaining the safety of citizens is one of the essential functions of homeland security, which is a rather challenging task in the current political climate. Due to the existence of multiple political confrontations, the threat of a terrorist attack has risen noticeably over the past decade (Klein et al., 2017). Nonetheless, spotting the warning signs of an approaching attack and preventing it from occurring is a crucial task. In this paper, the possible terrorist attack perpetrated by ISIS will be considered.
In the scenario of the attack developed and perpetrated by ISIS, the main terrorist tools and capabilities are going to be quite vast, yet rather predictable. Namely, it is believed that a complex attack may occur, with the members of ISIS targeting several sites at once. Specifically, the places where a large number of people can be found should be seen as the primary areas about which homeland security should be concerned. Similarly, subways can be the potential spots targeted by ISIS members as a venue for an attack.
When considering what a possible attack initiated by ISIS would look like, one might include the following development of key events. After a controversial occurrence happening on a local level, such as a conflict within a local community, the ISIS members may start with a public threat on social media, which will, later on, be transformed into an actual attack. Namely, several terrorists may appear at a number of subway stations, carrying a set of improvised explosive devices concealed in their clothes. At a specific point in time, the explosives will go off, and the attacks will affect a number of people. In each attack cell, three to four people will participate (Gill et al., 2020). With the scouting performed by terrorists disguised as tourists, and the logistical and other types of support provided by those masking as business people, the attack may become an apparent threat. The impact will include the direct one, namely, being harmed or killed by the explosion itself, as well as the death or injury caused by the destruction of the part of the subway where the attacks will be implemented, possibly, the support bearings or the roof. In addition, the possible damage to the vehicles needs to be taken into account provided that the metro bombing takes place close to a subway car or within it.
When situations such as the scenario described above occur in the environment of a seemingly peaceful community, its members often ask a question of how it could have happed in the first place. Namely, how terrorists could have gained access to the target area and, most importantly, how the terrorists managed to intervene in American society, are typically asked. However, despite the seeming complexity of entering the U.S. set for potential terrorists, there is a plethora of possibilities, such as tourism, studying abroad, and business trips, to name just a few. In the attack described above, the perpetrators could have masked themselves as people visiting the U.S. for business purposes. Given the current state of a statewide lockdown, the probability of numerous visitors from other countries remaining within the U.S. setting is notably high. Therefore, the possibility of terrorists using the disguise of businesspeople in order to perform a subway bombing is quite high.
By enhancing the safety of public places in the U.S., the homeland security services can increase the probability of preventing an attack successfully. Furthermore, even in the worst-case scenario, the number of victims may be reduced to a minimum. Therefore, it is critical to identify potential areas of perpetration and introduce appropriate preventive measures, ranging from surveillance to direct intervention.
References
Gill, P., Marchment, Z., Corner, E., & Bouhana, N. (2020). Terrorist decision-making in the context of risk, attack planning, and attack commission. Studies in Conflict & Terrorism, 43(2), 145-160. Web.
Klein, B. R., Gruenewald, J., & Smith, B. L. (2017). Opportunity, group structure, temporal patterns, and successful outcomes of far-right terrorism incidents in the United States. Crime & Delinquency, 63(10), pp. 1224-1249. Web.
