By KEVIN MURPHY The Kansas City Star

Law enforcement, health and aviation officials got all kinds of advice Thursday on preventing and reacting to terrorism.

The first problem is trying to identify today's terrorist, a consultant told the group of about 40 persons during a daylong seminar in Kansas City.

"There's a new generation of terrorist," said Gunnar Kuepper, head of Los Angeles-based Emergency & Disaster Management Inc. "It is extremely difficult to detect them."

Terrorists such as those who struck Sept. 11 are not openly fanatical, are highly focused, well-educated, generally obey laws, spend years preparing for attacks and are willing to commit suicide for their cause, he said.

"The bad guys think they are the good guys and saviors, loyally following orders," Kuepper said. "We can only fight terrorism as a society."

Kuepper said the best hope for communities and the nation is to identify the most vulnerable terrorism targets and make them as secure as reasonably possible.

To illustrate how responses to acts of terror should occur, Kuepper cited the July 4 shootings at Los Angeles International Airport. An Egyptian-born man with no criminal record opened fire at a ticket counter at El Al Israel Airlines, killing two persons.

Two El Al security guards responded instantly, one of them shooting the assailant. Within minutes local and federal agents were on the scene, sharpshooters were in place and the entire airport was put on alert in case the assailant was part of a larger plot.

In the seminar, Kuepper also talked about dealing with hijackings, hostage situations, sabotage, explosives, food poisoning threats and bioterrorism.

Participants included Kansas City police officers, regional fire and rescue officials, and representatives of Kansas City International Airport.