United States Treasury Secretary John Snow, trying to bolster confidence on Wall Street and Main Street amid a new warning about possible terrorist strikes, said on Monday the US financial system continues to operate normally, a testimony to its ”resiliency and strength”.
In a statement, Snow also said there are sufficient safety mechanisms to ensure that any terrorist attack on the US financial system can be weathered in much the same way the system handles hurricanes and other disruptions.
Millions of dollars have been spent to develop redundant systems that could take over after a terrorist attack to make sure that bank customers are able to continue to cash cheques, make deposits and withdraw money from automatic teller machines.
Many of those systems have been put in place since the September 11 2001 attacks in the heart of the financial district in New York City.
”People around the world rightly have confidence in the US financial markets,” Snow said.
”While we must always remain vigilant against terror, we will not be intimidated and [prevented] from enjoying our lives and exercising our freedoms,” he added. — Sapa-AP