Terrorists will ‘bring it here,’ focusing on ‘soft targets,’ author-prof predicts

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SALUDA — Sporting suspenders, newly engaged to be married and having finally released the follow-up to his New York Times best-seller, “One Second After,” William “Bill” Forstchen predicted a scenario in the near future wherein Isis terrorists from the Middle East bring their fight directly to the United States—where he said they already are embedded—and take aim at “soft targets.”

Forstchen, author of The New York Times bestseller “One Second After”( in 2009) and a miltiary history scholar and professor at Montreat College, shared his concerns about Isis in his keynote address to about 600 people who attended the three-day weekend Prepper Camp on the night of Sept. 13 at Lake Orchard Campground.

“Preppers,” as they call themselves, prefer that label over “survivalists,” a term which they feel has been stigmatized through the years by what they allege has been unfair coverage of participants in the movement in the mainstream news media.

In addition to the Isis threat, Forstchen warned of other possible impending perils, including potentially catasrophic electro-magnetic pulses, coronal mass ejections (serious solar flares) and, in general, a collapse of the nation’s antiquated electrical grid that could take years to repair and, in the meantime, would result in the death of 90 percent of Americans within a year and leave the remainder living a lifestyle — with no electricity — from two or more centuries ago.

Forstchen was introduced as “the father of the prepper movement,” and given credit for inspiring so many Americans to prepare for a variety of calamaties through his book, “One Second After,” as well as his EMP and power grid work. Forstchen spoke for about an hour, giving a brief address and then eagerly opening the event to a lively and lengthy question-and-answer session with the audience.

“I was talking to a friend yesterday on EMP... that a double-whammy-CME was on the way on the G3 level,” Forstchen said. “The friend asked where I was going this weekend. I said I was going to a prepper conference... If the stuff hit the fan, I want to be around ‘the preppers.’” His quip triggered laughter from the crowd.

“I did have a book come out a few days ago,” Forstchen noted. “My sequel to ‘One Second After’ is ‘One Year After.’”

A woman said she was not familiar with his bestseller and asked Forstchen if he would “backtrack over his work” for her — and others — who would like to be brought up to speed.

Forstchen, who slammed the mainstream media repeatedly during his talk, told of his interaction about a decade ago with his long-time friend Newt Gingrich (former speaker of the House) who said, “‘There is no constituency for EMPs — Bill, why don’t you write about it?’”

“One Second After,” which Forstchen characterized as his “book on EMPs,” was published five years later. “The book kind of ‘hit.’.. Someone told me the book ‘flooded out,’” meaning it sold well.

“It so overwhelmed me to write that book that I didn’t really want to go near it... I finally wrote a sequel this year... (it) will come out this year.”

He then veered into his concerns about terrorists striking “soft targets” any moment in the United States — and his novella outlining a possible scenario.

He told of a Besian school in Russia, which, on Sept. 1, 2004, was seized by Islamic terrorists who subsequently slaughtered 336 people, 180 of which were children.

“What I was thinking was what three to five terrorists are going to do if they seize a (U.S.) school. I doubt a no-gun-zone is going to scare them.... Isis is going to go for the ‘soft targets’ in America. They’re not going to go for the hard targets,” such as a gathering of preppers, many of whom are armed and proficient with their weapons.

“It (the attack by Isis) could be schools, buses, synagogues. It’s a novella. It’s out on eBay... I’m a military historian. I’ve actually been to death camps in Europe. I’ve never seen anything like we’ve seen.. and in the next couple months... they’re going to bring it here... My next book is going to be ‘Happy Bunny Goes to Town.’” The crowd laughed at his joke about a happy book.

Someone then objected to a comment from a woman who said that the terrorists “aren’t they already here” in the U.S. “They are already here,” the prepper said. “They’ve seized hard assets. They are here. They have a connection with Mexican drug cartels... This is asymmetrical warfare....”

To that, Forstchen said, “Maybe someone like you will say, “The hell with political correctness... I’m going to do something.’ We’re so terrified of political correctness....”

EDITOR’S NOTE: The remainder of this story will appear in November’s Daily Planet.