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Sunday 29 January 2012

Terrorism and America: How Much Safer Are We?

By Andrew Bennett


The fact that September 11 changed America forever is old news. You have seen the coverage over and again. Americans cannot help but stop, look, and listen to those familiar sights and sounds. Will it ever happen again? Are we safer here and now than we were then and there? A former FBI agent, Dennis M. Lormel says that we are far more secure today. As a society, we no longer take our safety for granted. That day made us realize just how vulnerable we all are to the actions of a covert few. Yet Lormel asserts that we are still much safer ten years later.

A subject matter specialist and globally-recognized expert, Lormel routinely speaks, teaches courses, and gives interviews on the subject of global fraud, terrorism finance, and anti-money laundering. Within days of the September 11 attacks, Lormel already knew what had to be done. In fact, with the help of the FBI and others, his team had already discovered the funnel of money that led directly to the attacks on our soil. He realized that all you have to do is "follow the money" to identify the terrorists, their financiers, and other individuals and organizations brandishing support and cooperation to world terrorism. This knowledge would lead to preventing future attacks and creating a safer America. And it all started with the banks.

Over night representatives of many financial institutions joined with investigators to help track down terrorist finance money streams. Money travels fast, so some institutions would come to grant the FBI and other law enforcement the ability to access real time data. Other banks had a dedicated representative of their institution committed to around-the-clock law enforcement availability. Sharing intelligence in this manner has contributed significantly to realizing a stronger and more secure America. Lormel says six foreign terror attacks were thwarted due to the contributions of just one financial institution.

American citizens are far more vigilant regarding potential attacks these days. Reports of suspicious activity have thwarted terrorist attacks in at least two cases in recent years. Law enforcement and intelligence sectors now work in unison with far more efficiency. Updated investigating tactics empower the law enforcement community to do more to prevent terrorism. The CIA can use drones to counterattack against terrorists the world over. In addition, the combined efforts of diplomacy, military action, and sanctions have hit many terrorists literally where they live. A newly purposed coordination between the Treasury Department, law enforcement, and the financial services sector chokes the funding stream of many would-be terror threats.

Are we safer today than we were that morning of September 11? Lormel would answer with an optimistic "Yes." Nonetheless, it would be naive to think that there will not be opportunities for terrorist attacks to occur again in America. Our free and open society nearly guarantees it. History is rife with examples of what a lone terrorist can do with even the most basic of weapons. In this ever-changing global economy, we have to stay alert of emerging threats, yet allow enough restraint to perpetuate our free way of life. We must never lose sight of the accountability and responsibility of the sentinels who guard the gates of our free democratic nation from those who long only to bring us to our knees anew.




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