Tuesday night's horrific
Amtrak crash is more likely a safety issue for the National Transportation Safety Board to consider and "probably not a terrorist event," House Homeland Security Chairman Michael McCaul said Wednesday.
"Fortunately, all indicators point to the fact that this was probably not a terrorist event, although we know al-Qaida has targeted train passengers, whether it be in Spain, the U.K., the attempted attack on the New York subway," the Texas Republican told MSNBC's "Morning Joe" program.
He also said that there are "security precautions in place on the trains."
The measures are "not quite as stringent as [with] airline passengers, but we have canines, we do have officers that screen and look at individuals. But it is a vulnerability with this train system."
The lawmaker said he expects Congress will have oversight hearings on the issue of train safety.
He also expects work to come up on a highway infrastructure bill.
"This Congress, the chairman of transportation is putting that forward," said McCaul. "I think when it comes to rail, there are problems. And I think this passenger rail — I think there have been almost 10 derailments on passenger rail which, again, raises the issue of safety as so many passengers travel back and forth.
"So, you know, look we've got to pay for the infrastructure."
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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