Terrorist threat remains

Is Los Angeles safer today from terrorists than we were on 9-11?
No, according to a panel of experts at a forum Monday at University of California, Los Angeles.Staff writer Troy Anderson reports on the forum in today's Daily News.
America is just as vulnerable to attack as it was on 9-11, with street gangs funding terrorist groups and also draining resources from law enforcement agencies working to head off future attacks.
The experts said the war on terrorism has been replaced by the war on gangs - a huge concern in Los Angeles, which has an estimated 40,000 gang members and is an attractive target for terrorists.
"We are not safe and we will not be safe for many years," LAPD Deputy Chief Mark Leap said at the forum sponsored by the university's School of Public Affairs.
"There are many, many more people who consider themselves jihadists now. And criminal enterprises are being used to support terrorist activities."