Al Qaeda wanted to hijack and blow up oil tankers to provoke an 'extreme economic crisis' in the West, it has been revealed.According to documents seized from Osama Bin Laden's Pakistan compound, the terror group sought information on the size and construction of oil tankers.
It determined that blowing them up from the inside would be easiest due to the strength of the tankers' hulls.
U.S. government officials say there was no specific or imminent threat, and that they didn't know whether Al Qaeda had continued plotting since last year.
But the group headed by Osama Bin Laden had recommended test runs of the plot, it was revealed.
Department for Homeland Security spokesman Matthew Chandler said: 'We are not aware of indications of any specific or imminent terrorist attack plotting against the oil and natural gas sector overseas or in the United States.
'However, in 2010 there was continuing interest by members of Al Qaeda in targeting oil tankers and commercial oil infrastructure at sea.'
The government warning went to federal, state and local law enforcement and companies in the oil and gas industries.
The DHS said it was not raising the U.S. terror alert level. Read More
