Ex-FBI officer says US can expect more “unguided missiles” like Shahzad

NEW YORK - A former FBI official has said that a shift in terrorist strategy, coupled with an imperfect system for detecting threats, will allow more “unguided missiles” like foiled Times Square bomber Faisal Shahzad to carry out potentially disastrous attacks on American soil.

“What we’re starting to see more and more, the unguided missiles. By that I mean, they’re given some training in terrorism, and then they’re just told to go do something, without control, without anything else. And that’s kind of frightening,” Skip Brandon, a former assistant director of the FBI, told CBS’ “The Early Show”.

Michigan Republican lawmaker Peter Hoekstra agreed with Brandaon’s assessment, saying that in the past it was always thought al Qaeda … wanted to do another attack against the United States, but having realized that this would be very hard to accomplish, they have resorted to using splinter groups to cause maximum damage.

Hoekstra also questioned whether the United States was using all the tools at its disposal to guard against these unassuming attackers.

“I think that there are certain tools that we should have available that we’re not using right now,” he said.

Both expressed surprise over Shahzad managing to board a Dubai-bound plane, even after he had been added to the federal no-fly list.

“Well, this is the question of the day. How could this happen?” Brandon said.

“This is not necessarily rocket science, and we’ve had a long time to work out all the glitches. It shouldn’t have happened. But, in the end, we also have to remember, that, in fact, it did work. Very close call on it, but it did work,” he added.

Brandon said the system “has to be reviewed, and fine tuned.” (ANI)