WAS BIN LADEN TARGETING LATINOS?

WASHINGTON -- Osama Bin Laden had U.S. Latinos on his mind before he died, New America Media reports.

Bin Laden thought of Latinos as part of vulnerable and oppressed groups who could be "seduced by extremist terrorism." His vision may have been far from reality, however, considering there have only been four Latinos involved in attempted terrorist attacks on the United States since Sept. 11, 2001.

U.S. government officials who had access to Bin Laden's journal and other documents acquired after his death, revealed this week that Los Angeles was one of the cities the Al Qaeda leader was planning to target.

The objectives, according to his logic, were for trains and planes to be attacked on important dates -- not by Muslims, but by "vulnerable" groups, such as Latinos and African Americans.

However, Bin Laden's calculations seem far from the reality of terrorist activity on American soil and the country’s strategy to prevent potential attacks.

"We have always been much more concerned about the radicalization of individuals in general in the country, but not among certain communities and races," said former CIA director Michael Hayden.

Terrorism is defined as the "unlawful use of force or violence against persons or property in order to coerce or intimidate a government or the civilian population in furtherance of political or social objectives."

According to FBI figures from 1980 to 2005, there have been 318 terrorist incidents in the United States, which have resulted in 3,178 deaths.

Only four Latinos were on the list of suspects. They include Antonio Martínez, José Padilla, Daniel Maldonado, and Carlos Almonte. The former was accused of attempting to blow up a military recruiting center.