Adviser concerned about WTC memorial security

Apr 25, 2006 12:35 PM

           

A senior security adviser to New York governor George Pataki has raised questions about the vulnerability of the planned Ground Zero memorial.
James Kallstrom, a former assistant FBI director, voiced his concerns in a March third letter to the Lower Manhattan Development Corp. A copy was mailed anonymously to The New York Times.
In the letter, Kallstrom says the memorial -- two voids with water cascading below the surface -- could be an attractive terrorist target. He adds that security concerns were not adequately addressed in the design documents.
The letter specifically questions the safety of the ramps leading to the underground area, and the two open voids in the design, which Kallstrom reportedly says could be vulnerable to a bomb or chemical release.
Kallstrom suggested in the letter that the number of people on the ramps be kept as low as possible, and that the ramps be repartitioned to make evacuation, rescue and recovery easier.
None of the officials involved have commented on the details of the letter, but say security remains a top priority.
"Obviously that letter was not supposed to be made public. We work closely with Jim on all issues surrounding the 16-acre site, and we will continue to do that, but I am not making any comment now on that letter," New York Police commissioner Ray Kelly told NY1 News.
Kallstrom told the Times that the letter was a confidential reflection of security team concerns -- not a set of recommendations.

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