TSA Report Warns of Trucks Used In Ramming Attacks
Truck drivers in the United States have been advised to be on the lookout for “ramming attacks” by terrorists using vehicles as killing machines, according to a new Transportation Security Administration report.
Titled “Vehicle ramming attacks: Threat landscape, indicators and countermeasures,” the report notes that in the past three years at least 173 people have been killed and more than 700 wounded in 17 ramming attacks around the world, of which 13 resulted in fatalities.
Although only four of the attacks used commercial trucks, the TSA said they are particularly effective as killing machines.
“Commercial vehicles — distinguished by their large size, weight and carrying capacity — present an especially attractive mechanism for vehicle ramming attacks because of the ease with which they can penetrate security barriers and the large-scale damage they can inflict on people and infrastructure.”
The report urged truck owners to report theft or other suspicious activities to law enforcement promptly.
