Houston in top five most likely terrorist-target metro areas, speaker says

Congress considers Houston one of the five metropolitan areas in the United States most likely to be targeted by terrorists, says James G. Conway, president of Global Intelligence Strategies Inc. in Houston. The other four cities are Chicago, Los Angeles, New York and Washington, D.C., Conway told a group of business executives and lawyers Thursday during the first day of a two-day conference on terrorism, crime and business. When it comes to terrorist groups, “the economy is their target,” he says. Conway’s comments were similar to those made earlier in the conference. But he defined even more reasons for Houston’s special appeal. The Federal Bureau of Investigation and U.S. Department of Homeland Security have identified nine traits that make a target particularly attractive to terrorists, such as areas with oil and gas facilities, transportation and energy centers, banking and finance hubs, and water supplies, Conway says. “Houston is the only city in the U.S. with all nine [traits],” he says. Conway also says that the Congressional Research Service has identified Houston as one of three urban areas -- the others are Los Angeles and Newark, N.J. -- that have large chemical plants with toxic and flammable chemicals close to major population centers. The conference, which continues Friday, is sponsored by San Antonio’s St. Mary’s University School of Law Center for Terrorism Law and is being held at the Houston branch of the Federal Reserve Bank.
-- Jeanne Graham