Preventing Terror attacks on U.S. soil or against U.S. targets depends upon effective Intelligence. The first of the 5 elements of the Intelligence Cycle is planning: assets must be directed towards the most likely (probable) threats. Using the 30 or so incidents of terrorist acts (whether or not actually executed) that are provided below and conduct research from the Internet to find if there are any patterns or trends in those attacks or the attackers, and draw a conclusion as to how this might guide future intelligence operations. In other words, if you discover a pattern or similarities, these would logically serve as guidance for future Intelligence-gathering efforts. 

Do your conclusions identify any possible conflicts with U.S. law or the Constitutional rights of Americans? How can we balance the rights of citizenship, while at the same time, making significant gains in security against the threat of terrorism?

Read these instructions carefully.
Your thread must be at least 200275 words. This range is a minimum requirement, and NOT a maximum limit. You may write as much as you need to make your strongest arguments. Although more is not necessarily better, it is reasonable that the best discussions are the ones that show the best evidence in support of the assertions.

Incidents of terror:
Shoe Bomber Richard Reid (2001)Unsuccessful attempt to destroy a commercial airline in flight
Jose Padilla (2002)Planning to use a dirty bomb
Lackawanna Six (2002)Attended jihadist training in Pakistan to learn how to attack Americans
Iyman Faris (2003)Planning to destroy the Brooklyn Bridge
Virginia Jihad Network (2003)Planning undetermined attacks against Americans
Nuradin Abdi (2003)Planning to bomb a shopping mall
Dhiren Barot (2004)Planning to attack the New York Stock Exchange
James Elshafay and Shahawar Matin SirajPlanning to bomb a New York subway station
Yassin Aref and Mohammed Hossain (2004)Planning to assassinate a Pakistani diplomat in New York City
Levar Haley Washington, Gregory Vernon Patterson, Hammad Riaz Samana, and Kevin James (2005)Planning to attack National Guard facilities, synagogues, and other targets in the Los Angeles area
Michael Reynolds (2005)Planning to blow up a natural gas refinery in Wyoming
Narseal Batiste, Patrick Abraham, Stanley Grant Phanor, Naudimar Herrera, Burson Augustin, Lyglenson Lemorin, and Rothschild Augustine (2006)Planning to destroy the Chicago Sears Tower, FBI offices, and other government buildings
Assem Hammoud (2006)Planning to attack underground transit links between New York City and New Jersey
Derrick Shareef (2006)Planning to set off hand grenades in a Chicago-area shopping mall
Fort Dix Plot (2007)Six men planned to attack Fort Dix Army post in New Jersey using assault rifles and grenades
JFK Airport Plot (2007)Four men planned to blow up aviation fuel tanks and pipelines at the John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City
Christopher Paul (2008)Planning to use weapons of mass destruction against Americans
Synagogue Terror Plot (2009)Four men planned to attack Jewish centers in New York and planes at a nearby military base
Najibullah Zazi (2009)Planning to detonate explosives on the New York City subway
Hosam Maher Husein Smadi (2009)Planning to plant a bomb in a Dallas skyscraper
Michael Finton (2009)Attempting to detonate a car bomb in downtown Springfield, IL
Tarek Mehanna and Ahmad Abousamra (2009)Planning to kill US politicians, American troops in Iraq, and civilians in local shopping malls
Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab (2009)Attempted to detonate a bomb hidden in his underwear on a US-bound international flight as the plane began to land
Printer bomb (2010)Bombs disguised as printer cartridges and shipped on a US-bound cargo plane (originating in Dubai) to locations in the Chicago area, which were found before they could be detonated (but not until after they reached the United Kingdom) when a caller tipped off security officials