Terror threat

'Successful' terrorist attacks shifted from air to rail over 30-year period, study shows

In recent years, "successful" terrorists have shifted their attention toward attacking subway and rail systems and away from airlines, according to a recent study by a Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor who analyzed such attacks over a 30-year period.

The study conducted by Arnold Barrett, a professor who researches problems of health and safety, reviewed 87 successful terrorist acts worldwide against air and rail passengers from 1982 to 2011, meaning it resulted in multiple deaths of passengers. The analysis was published Feb. 13 in the journal Risk Analysis, which is published by the Society of Risk Analysis.