TSA Report Cautions Against Terrorist Truck Attacks

An unclassified new Transportation Security Administration report is warning U.S. truck owners and rental agencies to be “vigilant” about the increasing threat of attacks from terrorists who aim to use the big vehicles for mass killings. The report, titled “Vehicle Ramming Attacks: Threat Landscape, Indicators, and Countermeasures,” warns in particular for operators to protect vehicles from theft. It was sent out Tuesday to local law-enforcement agencies across the country, in addition to private companies working with the Department of Homeland Security. Over the past three years, more than 170 people have been killed and more than 700 wounded in about 17 ramming attacks around the world, according to the document. “No community, large or small, rural or urban, is immune to attacks of this kind by organized or ‘lone wolf’ terrorists,” the report said, noting that locations are particularly vulnerable when “large numbers of people congregate, including parades and other celebratory gatherings, sporting events, entertainment venues, or shopping centers.”