FBI: No terror link in lasers aimed at aircraft

While checking the news I found this tidbit of new info regarding lasers.

source

A string of incidents around the country involving laser beams aimed at aircraft aren't linked to terrorism and are more likely the work of mischief makers, the FBI (news - web sites) said Sunday.


The FBI attributed eight incidents in the past 10 days to pranks or accidental acts that tagged aircraft in Ohio, Texas, Oregon and New Jersey. Pilots reported that powerful laser beams apparently had been aimed at them during takeoffs and landings.


Lasers have been a growing concern in the aviation community. Laser pointers, devices the size of a pen that are used by public speakers, have enough power to cause vision problems in pilots from a distance of 2 miles, according to the Federal Aviation Administration (news - web sites). A pilot hit by a laser also could become distracted.

Use Above link to view complete story.

My question is this; How can they be so sure this soon that it is not terrorists actually pointing some of the lasers into the cockpits?

Granted there have been incidents that have been proven they were accidents like the one in NJ, however I am not so sure about the rest. I think some may have been copy kats, while others may have been actual trails by real terrorists.

Now you may ask why I think this way? Note the range they state in the article that is supposed to be max. What about the stronger lasers? Any fool knows they can go farther than 2 miles.

This really bothers me, since it is a known fact that terrorists have expressed interest in laser weapons.

What do you think; am I jumping to a conclusion or is the FBI trying to cover something up?