Information obtained under the National Security Agency's recently revealed PRISM Internet surveillance program foiled a planned terrorist attack on New York City's subway system, according to a report.
The information helped prevent an "Islamist militant plot" against the public transit network, according to Reuters, which cited U.S. government sources. Najibullah Zazi, an Afghan-born U.S. resident who was planning the attack, pleaded guilty in 2010 to conspiracy to use weapons of mass destruction, among other charges.
The Reuters story sheds light on House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Rogers' (R-Mich.) earlier cryptic defense of PRISM. Rogers claimed a domestic attack had been foiled with intelligence gathered under PRISM, but did not provide specific information, claiming it was classified.
The confirmation that a potentially deadly terrorist attack was prevented based on intelligence gathered under PRISM will likely complicate the debate sparked by the program's exposure.
New York City's subway system is the seventh busiest such network in the world, with 1.65 billion rides delivered in 2012. Public transportation has occasionally been a target of terrorists before: A 1995 sarin gas attack on Tokyo's subway killed 13 people, while 52 civilians and 4 attackers were killed ten years later in suicide bombings on London's Underground and bus systems.
Does the fact that PRISM may have saved lives change your opinion towards it? Share your thoughts in the comments.