Tuesday's events may not be the last, says a Tufts expert

Medford/Somerville, Mass. [09.13.01] -- The fires have been contained, search and rescue efforts are underway and Americans are beginning to recover from Tuesday's attacks. While a calm has begun to settle over the United States, a Tufts international relations expert says the attacks in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania may not be the last.

   "I am afraid that we might be in for more attacks," Tufts' Robert Pfaltzgraff told the Patriot Ledger. "This might be the first volley in a series."

   While authorities are still searching for clues, experts like Pfaltzgraff believe terrorists are likely to blame.

   And a failure in U.S. intelligence appears to have left the country vulnerable to the unprecedented events that unfolded on Tuesday.

   Michele Malvesti -- a former terrorism analyst for the Pentagon and a Ph.D. student at Tufts' Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy -- said American security officials should have known about an attack this size.

   "It's just amazing to me that we had no idea something like this would happen," Malvesti told the Ledger. "If they knew about this, they should have put out a warning. This was not done and it's devastating."

   In just hours, the attackers were able to affect millions of Americans.

   "The symbolism of these attacks is incredible," she told the Boston Herald. "They wanted to reach out and touch us and they showed they could."