TA-THREATS: FBI Warns That Terrorist Could Use Floating Bombs, page 1

The FBI is warning law enforcement officials of the possible threat of floating bombs. Terrorist may try to construct crude floating explosive devices that would damage or sink ships that ran into them in harbors, or restricted waterways.

Fox News - FBI Warns of Floating Bomb Devices
NEW YORK � The FBI warned law enforcement agencies of the potential for floating explosive devices � otherwise known as terrorist improvised mines � according to the weekly bulletin issued by the agency and obtained by FOX News.
The FBI also included a list of potential indicators relating to planning a floating bomb or terrorist mine attacks:

� Reports of launching or retrieving boats from unusually remote areas

� Reports involve aircraft dropping objects at night near harbors, ports or commercial airways

� Reports of abandoned small boats found adrift near sensitive sights

� Reports or incidents of unusual or unidentified floating objects near vessels or in harbors, ports or commercial waterways

� Evidence suggesting trends or patterns in terrorist-related hoaxes or threat reporting dealing with mines or floating IEDds

� Reports of suspicious requests for hydrographic charts associated with naval or commercial port facilities

� Reports of attempts to purchase or steal large magnets, large styrofoam blocks, large diameter PVC pipe, empty compressed gas cylinders or watertight storage drums.

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The FBI doesn't believe that terrorist organizations have the capabilities of carrying out large scale mining, but they still caution that the possibility exist and a single explosive can be dangerous. If terrorist could succeed in sinking or crippling a ship in one of the worlds choke points, the results could be economically devastating. Sinking a ship in the Strait of Hormuz leading out of the Persian Gulf, or in the Suez Canal would delay oil shipments and send the already high prices of oil even higher.

Additional Information:
World Oil Transit Chokepoints