2006年VOA标准英语-US Officials Disrupt Terror Plot Targeting New

By Jim Malone
Washington
07 July 2006

U.S. security officials say they have disrupted a terrorist suicide-bombing plot that targeted one or more of the rail tunnels that connect New York City with neighboring New Jersey².  Three men allegedly involved in the plot are in custody⁴ in other countries, including a Lebanese man described by U.S. authorities as the mastermind of the group. 

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Traffic streams past New York entrance of  Holland Tunnel, July 7, 2006
  
FBI Assistant Director Mark Mershon told a news conference in New York that U.S. investigators⁵ first became aware of the tunnel plot about one year ago.

"This is a plot that would have involved martyrdom, explosives and certain of the tubes that connect New Jersey with lower Manhattan.  We are not discussing the modality beyond that," he said.

FBI agents apparently⁶ were tipped off about the plot by monitoring chat rooms used by extremists on the Internet.

Mershon says those allegedly involved were outside of the United States, and were disrupted in the planning stage of the operation.

"They were about to go to a phase where they would attempt to surveil targets, establish a regimen of attack and acquire the resources necessary to effectuate the attacks.  And at that point, I think, it is entirely⁷ appropriate to take it down," he added.

Authorities say they have identified a total of eight people allegedly involved in the plot.  Three of them are in custody in other countries, including a man described as the alleged³ mastermind of the operation, Assem Hammoud, who faces criminal charges in Lebanon.

Mershon says Hammoud is a member of al-Qaida, who has pledged loyalty⁸ to Osama bin¹ Laden⁹.

The plot was first reported by the New York Daily News newspaper, which said the plotters planned to blow up the Holland Tunnel linking New Jersey highways with lower Manhattan in hopes of flooding New York's financial district.

But security officials said the alleged plotters only mentioned the PATH commuter¹⁰ train tunnels that run between New York and New Jersey under the Hudson River.

Daily News reporter James Gordon Meek¹¹ said the terrorists' alleged desire to flood New York's financial district by attacking the Holland Tunnel would likely have failed.

"The engineers and geologists¹² we consulted said that this would be almost impossible to do, because lower Manhattan is about 10 feet [three meters] above sea level, and the tunnel is below, so the river waters would not flood lower Manhattan," he explained.  "That means that this was not a feasible plot, but that does not mean that the people who were planning it were not serious."

FBI and other security officials are upset that someone leaked word of the plot to the newspaper, fearing it will complicate¹³ the investigation¹⁴ to find those involved.

At the same time, officials hailed cooperation from Lebanon and several other countries they did not identify in connection with uncovering the plot.

This is New York City Police Commissioner¹⁵ Ray Kelly.

"First, that we are able to disrupt plots such as this as a result of good intelligence and very close cooperation with law enforcement throughout the world.  And, secondly¹⁶, that New York still remains¹⁷ in the crosshairs of the terrorists," said Mr. Kelly.

Mark Mershon of the FBI says those involved in the tunnel plot were planning to carry out the attack by October or November of this year.

Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff says federal and local security officials remain focused on areas where risk of terrorism is greatest, including mass transit¹⁸ systems in major U.S. cities.

1 bin   

n.箱柜；vt.放入箱内；[计算机] DOS文件名:二进制目标文件

参考例句：

• He emptied several bags of rice into a bin.他把几袋米倒进大箱里。
• He threw the empty bottles in the bin.他把空瓶子扔进垃圾箱。

2 jersey   

n.运动衫

参考例句：

• He wears a cotton jersey when he plays football.他穿运动衫踢足球。
• They were dressed alike in blue jersey and knickers.他们穿着一致，都是蓝色的运动衫和灯笼短裤。

3 alleged   

a.被指控的，嫌疑的

参考例句：

• It was alleged that he had taken bribes while in office. 他被指称在任时收受贿赂。
• alleged irregularities in the election campaign 被指称竞选运动中的不正当行为

4 custody   

n.监护，照看，羁押，拘留

参考例句：

• He spent a week in custody on remand awaiting sentence.等候判决期间他被还押候审一个星期。
• He was taken into custody immediately after the robbery.抢劫案发生后，他立即被押了起来。

5 investigators   

n.调查者，审查者( investigator的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• This memo could be the smoking gun that investigators have been looking for. 这份备忘录可能是调查人员一直在寻找的证据。
• The team consisted of six investigators and two secretaries. 这个团队由六个调查人员和两个秘书组成。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。

7 entirely   

ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
• His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。

8 loyalty   

n.忠诚，忠心

参考例句：

• She told him the truth from a sense of loyalty.她告诉他真相是出于忠诚。
• His loyalty to his friends was never in doubt.他对朋友的一片忠心从来没受到怀疑。

9 laden   

adj.装满了的；充满了的；负了重担的；苦恼的

参考例句：

• He is laden with heavy responsibility.他肩负重任。
• Dragging the fully laden boat across the sand dunes was no mean feat.将满载货物的船拖过沙丘是一件了不起的事。

10 commuter   

n.(尤指市郊之间)乘公交车辆上下班者

参考例句：

• Police cordoned off the road and diverted commuter traffic. 警察封锁了道路并分流交通。
• She accidentally stepped on his foot on a crowded commuter train. 她在拥挤的通勤列车上不小心踩到了他的脚。

11 meek   

adj.温顺的，逆来顺受的

参考例句：

• He expects his wife to be meek and submissive.他期望妻子温顺而且听他摆布。
• The little girl is as meek as a lamb.那个小姑娘像羔羊一般温顺。

12 geologists   

地质学家，地质学者( geologist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Geologists uncovered the hidden riches. 地质学家发现了地下的宝藏。
• Geologists study the structure of the rocks. 地质学家研究岩石结构。

13 complicate   

vt.使复杂化，使混乱，使难懂

参考例句：

• There is no need to complicate matters.没有必要使问题复杂化。
• These events will greatly complicate the situation.这些事件将使局势变得极其复杂。

14 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

15 commissioner   

n.（政府厅、局、处等部门）专员，长官，委员

参考例句：

• The commissioner has issued a warrant for her arrest.专员发出了对她的逮捕令。
• He was tapped for police commissioner.他被任命为警务处长。

16 secondly   

adv.第二，其次

参考例句：

• Secondly,use your own head and present your point of view.第二，动脑筋提出自己的见解。
• Secondly it is necessary to define the applied load.其次，需要确定所作用的载荷。

17 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

18 transit   

n.经过，运输；vt.穿越，旋转；vi.越过

参考例句：

• His luggage was lost in transit.他的行李在运送中丢失。
• The canal can transit a total of 50 ships daily.这条运河每天能通过50条船。