KFC bombing could hint
of future attacks

By WND Staff

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A bomb exploded outside a Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant in the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli today, injuring at least one person. Reuters reported that 3.3 pounds of explosives were used in the blast, which injured a security guard.

The bombing appears to have been the work of amateurs, given the target and the type of attack. The event itself is relatively minor, but in the context of the U.S.-led anti-terrorism campaign it highlights the near-impossibility of preventing random, low-scale attacks.

Pro-Palestinian groups in Lebanon, upset with Washington’s perceived bias toward Israel, have set their sights on U.S. chain restaurants over the last few months, though these efforts up to now were mainly restricted to boycotts and protests. However, last month three people were arrested on suspicion of planning to bomb a Pizza Hut restaurant in south Beirut.

Ironically, the KFC restaurant was operated by Lebanese businessmen and employed local staff. Americana, a 38-year-old Kuwait-based food distribution and retail company, operates Kentucky Fried Chicken in the Middle East.

Those behind the attack were clearly more interested in a making a political statement than causing death and damage. The explosive device was crude and poorly arranged outside the restaurant’s front door, doing relatively little damage to the interior. The timing of the explosion at 4 a.m. guaranteed that the restaurant would be abandoned and empty.

The choice of target – an American fast food chain actually owned by locals – is the most telling aspect. It shows a superficial and poorly researched selection method, one based on the target’s visibility and ease of attack. Experienced terrorists choose targets based either on expected death tolls (such as a crowded cafe) or the psychological and physical impact that would result (such as with embassies or power plants).

However, the recent attack does highlight the risk posed to high-visibility American targets. A few weeks before the arrests in the Pizza Hut plot in Beirut, another KFC outlet in Cairo was trashed during street demonstrations in April. These attacks likely are isolated incidents, but they are nearly impossible to prevent.

Any organization, even one as secretive as al-Qaida or Hamas, can eventually be penetrated, or at least their actions may be predicted. However, random decisions by isolated groups or individuals – ranging from bombings of fast food outlets to mailboxes – are nearly impossible by their very nature to predict. They are simple and do not require sophisticated infrastructure like passports, detailed intelligence or advanced weaponry.

Similar attacks should be expected, as tensions remain high throughout the Muslim world. Though not a critical threat to U.S. interests or policy, the danger is that – given enough attempts – some amateur groups will get lucky and cause significant damage or death in a strike on a U.S. asset.


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