O'Reilly dismissed, joked about report of aborted Al Qaeda cyanide attack on NYC subway

Summary: On his radio show, Bill O'Reilly downplayed a recent report of an aborted Al Qaeda attack on the New York City subway system, which was to involve the use of deadly hydrogen-cyanide gas, joking, "[I]f you've been to the subways in New York City in the summer, I don't know how you would tell there was a gas attack, based upon the smell that's down there every day."

On the June 19 broadcast of his nationally syndicated radio program, Fox News host Bill O'Reilly downplayed a recent report of an aborted Al Qaeda attack on the New York City subway system. The planned attack, first revealed in Pulitzer prize-winning author and journalist Ron Suskind's new book The One Percent Doctrine: Deep Inside America's Pursuit of Its Enemies Since 9/11 (Simon & Schuster, June 2006), was to involve the use of deadly hydrogen-cyanide gas against New York City subway riders. According to Suskind, the attack was called off in January 2003 by Al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri just 45 days before it was to take place. The reasons for Zawahiri's decision, Suskind reported, are "still debated by U.S. intelligence officials."

Apparently referring to an excerpt from Suskind's book posted June 17 to Time magazine's website, O'Reilly stated: "I don't know whether this [story] is true, and I don't particularly care." He added that the reported terrorist plot was not "a big story" and dismissed it as "just somebody trying to sell a book."

Additionally, O'Reilly joked about the reported plan, stating: "[I]f you've been to the subways in New York City in the summer, I don't know how you would tell there was a gas attack, based upon the smell that's down there every day." He continued: "[Y]our system is immune if you ride the subways every day. There isn't a gas on Earth that could hurt you."

From the June 19 edition of Westwood One's The Radio Factor with Bill O'Reilly:

O'REILLY: First, the No-Spin News. And, again, the reason we do this is because you don't get an accurate portrayal of the news, I don't believe, in most media organizations, so it's left to me to do it on a daily basis.

Is this Time magazine reporting this? Al Qaeda almost attacked New York City in 2003 with gas in the subways. Number one, if you've been to the subways in New York City in the summer, I don't know how you would tell there was a gas attack, based upon the smell that's down there every day. So, you wouldn't even know. And your system is immune if you ride the subways every day. There isn't a gas on Earth that could hurt you. So, you're down there, your system is going to ward off anything.

Now, Al Qaeda apparently called this attack off because it wasn't glamorous enough or something. I don't know whether this is true, and I don't particularly care. All right? I don't think it's a big story. I think it's just somebody trying to sell a book.

—J.B.