Congressman Tom Latham stopped in Webster City today (Wednesday), and was asked about reports that terrorists may be trying to plan some kind of public event during holiday times this summer. Latham says there are many “targets of opportunity” this year where terrorists may try and raise havoc, like the Washington, D.C. dedication of the World War Two Veterans Memorial. Latham says in addition, there are national conventions in Boston and New York and the G-8 summit of leaders of industrialized nations coming up later this summer. There’s no threat identified right now at one place compared to another, but he cautions terrorists want to destroy freedom and take away our security here at home. Latham says officials in this country’s security agencies are doing all they can.He serves on the Homeland Security subcommittee on appropriations, and says the briefings show there’s a “real opportunity for something” before our elections in the all, as terrorists would like to try and influence them as they think they did in Spain. Latham says Americans wouldn’t let a terrorist incident influence the way we run government or our elections, but he hopes they don’t get the chance to try.
