A zoo, a popcorn factory and nursing homes — what the US fears could be terror targets

A LIST of places and events that the US fears could be terror targets includes a petting zoo, a popcorn factory and a flea market.

An unspecified “beach at the end of a street”, Columbia, Tennessee’s Mule Day Parade and various shops selling items such as fishing tackle and doughnuts are also on the database, the New York Times reported.

It is used by America’s Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to help decide how big a share each state gets of the millions of dollars in anti-terrorism grants available every year.

In May, there was outrage when funding for New York City and Washington was cut by 40%, and was significantly increased for out-of-the-way cities like Louisville, Kentucky, and Omaha, Nebraska.

A report by the DHS inspector-general found the National Asset Database listed Indiana as the most targetable state in the US, with 8,591 potential places where terrorists might strike, while New York had only 5,687.

“The presence of large numbers of out-of-place assets taints the credibility of the data,” the report said.

The New York Times said the inspector-general questions if many of the sites listed — such as the 1,305 casinos, 163 water parks, 159 cruise ships, 244 jails, 3,773 malls, 718 mortuaries and 571 nursing homes — should even be in the tally.

And the report was also said to note that the list “may have too few assets in essential areas”, such as major business and finance operations or national telecommunications hubs.

The inspector-general recommends the list is reviewed to determine which of the “extremely insignificant” assets should remain.