With homeland security a national priority, most government officials would prefer that we wipe the imagery of a high-level target like the Golden Gate Bridge going down in a fireball from our minds. But when sailing under bridge in 2002, I found myself thinking, ‘What if…’”
Now that the book is published, have been asked a few times if it really is possible. It's impossible to say, of course. Officials at the Golden Gate Bridge District, like those at other high-profile facilities around the country, are loathe to share information. They simply won’t give you any specifics.”
One thing I do know is that the tight-lipped silence is probably because the bridge has been considered a terrorism target for many years. In 2002, Spanish officials found videos among the possessions of suspected terrorists that included detailed images of the span, and, in 2003, the state attorney general named the Golden Gate Bridge the fourth most likely target in California, after LAX and the ports of Long Beach and Oakland.
Since the bridge contains over 80,000 tons of steel and weighs nearly 900,000 tons overall, realistic scenarios of its destruction aren’t obvious. Still, speculation about possible methodology is all over the Internet. Most of the attention focuses on someone bringing in a car-bomb to blow a hole in the deck.
Now that the book is published, have been asked a few times if it really is possible. It's impossible to say, of course. Officials at the Golden Gate Bridge District, like those at other high-profile facilities around the country, are loathe to share information. They simply won’t give you any specifics.”
One thing I do know is that the tight-lipped silence is probably because the bridge has been considered a terrorism target for many years. In 2002, Spanish officials found videos among the possessions of suspected terrorists that included detailed images of the span, and, in 2003, the state attorney general named the Golden Gate Bridge the fourth most likely target in California, after LAX and the ports of Long Beach and Oakland.
Since the bridge contains over 80,000 tons of steel and weighs nearly 900,000 tons overall, realistic scenarios of its destruction aren’t obvious. Still, speculation about possible methodology is all over the Internet. Most of the attention focuses on someone bringing in a car-bomb to blow a hole in the deck.
That speculation is easy to discount because the Golden Gate Bridge isn’t that vulnerable to those kind of attacks. Compared to the Loma Prieta earthquake, which the bridge easily survived, the typical car bomb attack is equivalent to a mosquito bite.”
An airline attack on the bridge is also occasionally postulated. “The destruction of the Twin Towers in 2001 made it clear that massive concrete and steel structures can be brought down from the air.
An airline attack on the bridge is also occasionally postulated. “The destruction of the Twin Towers in 2001 made it clear that massive concrete and steel structures can be brought down from the air.
If you've read Death Game, you know it pegs the true danger somewhere else. The book uses what most authorities seem to consider the most realistic threat--the use of marine tankers.
It's hard to know if Death Game's plot could possibly occur. What is certain is that 9/11 forced the spectrum of credibility to expand for everyone in the free world. What was inconceivable was now possible--the utterly awful had become chillingly real.
One of the most valuable benefits of thrillers are that they can alert us to what’s possible. With the publication of a book that contains a possible scenario for terrorists, that idea is no longer a usable terrorist plan. Once a plan is public knowledge, they’ve lost the element of surprise. They are forced to go on to Plot B, or Plot C. And hopefully, those plots already have other authors writing books about them.
One of the most valuable benefits of thrillers are that they can alert us to what’s possible. With the publication of a book that contains a possible scenario for terrorists, that idea is no longer a usable terrorist plan. Once a plan is public knowledge, they’ve lost the element of surprise. They are forced to go on to Plot B, or Plot C. And hopefully, those plots already have other authors writing books about them.
