What differentiates a terrorist from a tourist?
Besides their motives, not much.
By Josh Schollmeyer
Bulletin of Atomic Scientists, July/August 2005
Like many others who visit a foreign country, Syrian national and
Spanish citizen Ghasoub al-Abrash Ghalyoun documented his 1997 travels
to the United States with a video camera. In San Francisco, he shot
footage of the Golden Gate Bridge; in Chicago, he videotaped the Sears
Tower. While in New York City, he showed a particular fascination with
the World Trade Center, filming it from numerous angles.
Then and now, Ghalyoun claims he was a tourist fulfilling a lifelong
dream of traveling to the United States. Spanish authorities believed
otherwise. When they discovered Ghalyoun's tapes during a 2002 raid of
his Madrid home, they accused him of aiding the 9/11 hijackers and
charged him with mass murder. (According to an attorney for the 9/11
families, Ghalyoun's footage ominously traces what would become the
hijackers' flight pattern into the Twin Towers.) But upon closer
inspection, the tapes included enough touristy behavior--an audible
"Say cheese!"--and amateurish picture quality that in late May Spain's
High Court freed Ghalyoun on bail, a signal that he might be cleared
of wrongdoing.
The "I'm just a tourist" defense is not as tenuous an alibi as it
might seem. Terrorists (especially those conducting reconnaissance)
behave remarkably like tourists--by happenstance and design. Both
travel to the United States from foreign countries in small (sometimes
familial) groups, visit the nation's most identifiable landmarks, and
take endless photographs. "This is where the research on guerrillas
and terrorists really overlaps," says Donna Schlagheck, a terrorism
expert at Wright State University, "because the difficulty lies with
distinguishing them from the general population."
Terrorists certainly understand the advantages of blending in. In
Israel, terrorists have dressed as Orthodox Jews or soldiers in order
to fool security. (Similar tactics have been used in Northern
Ireland.) Schlagheck notes that the 9/11 hijackers flew first class to
appear more like businessmen or wealthy tourists.
That said, terrorists and tourists do exhibit some distinguishing
behaviors. "Most people will pose in front of a monument and one of
their friends will take one or two pictures and then move away," says
Abraham Pizam, the dean of the University of Central Florida's Rosen
College of Hospitality Management. "They won't sit there for 15
minutes and take pictures from all sides and every aspect, studying it
in-depth. That's a sign something is wrong."
Terrorism brings yet another criminal element to tourist destinations,
which--because of the high turnover of visitors--have long served as a
haven for petty and master criminals. For local law enforcement,
curbing this crime is a top priority since it scares away tourists and
hurts the local economy. In the age of terrorism, both law enforcement
and those in the tourism industry are working together to heighten
awareness. "Every employee of an organization that is a potential
target should be trained by a security employee to observe abnormal or
unusual behavior," Pizam says. "We must have as many eyes as possible
in those situations."
In Anaheim, California, the home of Disneyland (video of which was
found on Ghalyoun's tapes), the police department trains hoteliers and
others in the local tourism community exactly how to spot visitors who
might seek to rain destruction down upon the "Happiest Place on
Earth." "[Terrorists] are going to adjust their strategies, and then
we're going to adjust ours," says Capt. Craig Hunter of the Anaheim
Police Department. "That's the continual cat-and-mouse game that
occurs with all criminals."
[Josh Schollmeyer is the Bulletin's assistant editor.]
Copyright 2005 Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists
Citation: Josh Schollmeyer. "Homeland security: Terrorism takes a holiday," Bulletin of Atomic Scientists, July/August 2005.
Original URL: http://www.thebulletin.org/print.php?art_ofn=ja05schollmeyer