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Reporting and analysis from ABC News Chief Washington Correspondent and "This Week" Host George Stephanopoulos

George Stephanopoulos reports on events in politics, Congress and the White House for ABCNews, on the air and online. He interviews top newsmakers, discusses the events of the week and looks to the week ahead each Sunday on 'This Week.'

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Obama Worried About Mumbai Attack 'Copycats'

January 11, 2009 9:20 AM

During our "This Week" interview, I asked President-elect Barack Obama if he thought the Mumbai terror attacks could happen here.

Obama said he is concerned about "copycats."

"I think that the dangers are always there and I think you have to anticipate that having seen the mayhem that was created in Mumbai that there are going to be potential copycats or other terrorist organizations that think this is something they can replicate," Obama told me.

"And so we’re going to have to be vigilant in terms of our intelligence, we’re going to have to make sure that we are more effective in terms of anticipating some of these issues and we’ve got to continue to put pressure on al Qaeda, which is our major target, that’s something that I talked about extensively during the campaign. That has to be one of our primary areas of focus when it comes to our international security," he said.

I asked Obama, who has begun to receive the President's Daily Brief intelligence report, if the nation is more safer or more at risk than he thought during the campaign.

"I think that we have made progress in certain areas but those dangers are still there," Obama said. "And those dangers are not going to immediately go away because we’re not talking about conventional armies where we have very clear measures of what their capacity is. We know exactly what they’re planning, where they’re positioned. If you have a small group of people in today’s world with today’s technology who are intent on doing harm and are willing to die, that is something that’s always going to be a challenge."

Have any of the intelligence reports shocked him ... a la Harry Truman and the Manhattan Project?

"Most of what I’ve learned are things that I’ve anticipated, partly because I was in the senate and although I wasn’t on the intelligence committee we would get top secret briefings. So there hasn’t been something that was eye popping. But you know the situation still requires vigilance," he said.

--George Stephanopoulos

January 11, 2009 in This Week with George Stephanopoulos | Permalink | Share | User Comments (5)

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Call Bush....he's kept us safe.

Posted by: lila | Jan 12, 2009 8:29:59 AM

George, I loved your program Sunday, and PE BO's yes/no answers were refresing.

How could I know I'd ever agree w/Newt Gingrich? He is right about Mexico. They are in a war, and it is on our border. As a Texan who previously enjoyed shopping the border towns, there's no way I'd go there today. Read the newspapers from places like Laredo, El Paso, Brownsville - you'll read about decapitated bodies hung from overpasses, decapitated bodies left purposely near elementary schools, kidnappings of Mexicans w/relatives in the U.S. to whom the kidnappers appeal for ransom. And you'll read about the drug lords equipping their folks w/all kinds of automatic weapons, bullet proof vests, RPGs - in my humble opinion, it's only a matter of time before we have a huge incident involving Mexico. I wish you would devote some time to this subject.

Posted by: Kaye More | Jan 12, 2009 2:01:02 PM

A Mumbai style attack in the US could have a very different outcome if they were foolish enough to do it in a city with a large conceal carry presence. India has strict gun laws, so the only people with guns were the bad guys. Of course, they could go to Chicago or New York if they wanted to find lots of unarmed victims.

Posted by: Kevin Crystal | Jan 20, 2009 3:43:03 PM

The difference between Mumbai and the US is stark. Our citizens are free to carry firearms, terrorists would be met with fierce resistance not just from the police, but the citizenry.

The only place they could get away with something like that would be in DC or NY, where it is illegal for people to defend themselves by carrying a handgun. Ya know, for their safety.

Posted by: John | Jan 22, 2009 10:28:23 AM

Unfortunately, it'll take more than threats before our government will respond.

I'm more afraid of a Beslan style attack.

Posted by: Ajlouny | Apr 23, 2009 12:30:38 AM

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