L.A.'s Rail System Named as Potential Al-Qaeda Target on Attack 'Wish List'

Documents and other intelligence gathered at the Pakistani compound of Osama bin Laden indicate that Los Angeles was among the possible targets for future attacks on the United States, according to CBS2. The memos, shared with the FBI and Homeland Security following the killing of bin Laden, discuss attack plans being concocted for Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, and Washington D.C.

Al-Qaeda's plans included possibly "tampering with unspecified rail tracks, so trains would derail over valleys or bridges." However, as CBS's national news reports, the memos do not name a specific rail line or location in a particular city, and do not appear to be fully drafted plans:" Sources say the memos do not indicate the potential plots are 'operational.' Instead, they seem to represent an 'al Qaeda wish list,' loose aspirational outlines for strikes the terror group hoped to launch."

Local authorities say the inclusion of Los Angeles on such a list "is alarming but not at all surprising," as Los Angeles has long been considered a likely target because of our many landmarks and massive infrastructure.