Shocking Undercover Operation Reveals That Safeguards Are In Place

Shock after NYPD counterterrorism agents able to construct a giant truck bomb! Relief that they were able to do it only after notifying the ATF that they were on an undercover operation:

Two undercover NYPD cops in a sting operation used $7,000 and the Internet to build a truck bomb big enough to blow up a skyscraper, officials revealed yesterday.

In what was dubbed “Operation Kaboom,” every purchase the cops made was legal — and aroused little suspicion — even driving their simulated truck bomb throughout the city.

Although the two cops had no specialized knowledge of bomb-making, they were able manufacture an explosive more powerful than the one used in the 1993 World Trade Center attack.

“We did it with no difficulty whatsoever,” said James Falkenrath, the NYPD’s top anti-terror cop, who testified at a congressional hearing yesterday and disclosed the making of the bomb.

No difficulty whatsoever — except for one small detail — the 2,450 pounds of ammonium nitrate:

After setting up a mail drop in Brooklyn, the agents went shopping. Their main purchase: 2,450 pounds of ammonium nitrate, bought from distributors upstate in Rensselaer County in the town of Schaghticoke and in Yardley, Pa., sources told The Post.

The bargain basement price: only $700. They rented a storage facility in The Bronx for $339 a month for a period of two months, and bought 129 pounds of fuel oil.

But the purchase of the ammonium nitrate in Rensselaer aroused some suspicion from the owner of the distribution plant, who contacted the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms following the purchase. The ATF launched an investigation, but the NYPD notified them that it was an undercover operation.

Huh?

When the operation was complete, the officers drove the simulated bomb around the city’s bridges and tunnels, sources said. They were not detected and the bomb was not functional.

Key components were intentionally left out to minimize danger. The bomb was put together and later detonated at the NYPD’s firing range at Rodman’s Neck in The Bronx, The Bronx, just to prove that it could have been deadly, police officials said.

. . .

Like terrorists Timothy McVeigh and Ramzi Yousef, the agents rented a Ryder truck. The bomb-making process took only about four months.

“Ammonium nitrate is the terrorist’s weapon of choice,” said Rep. Peter King (R-L.I.), chairman of the Homeland Security Committee. “It’s so easy to obtain, and it’s so lethal.”

“Why are these companies sending ammonium nitrate to Brooklyn?” asked an exasperated Falkenrath.

“We have done nothing — nothing — to improve the security of ammonium nitrate/fuel oil,” he added.

Are we missing something here?