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Wednesday, May 26, 2004
HOMELAND INSECURITY
Terrorists feared here
for summer onslaught
Federal officials believe America targeted for attack with weapon of
mass destruction
Posted: May 26, 2004
1:00 a.m. Eastern
� 2004 WorldNetDaily.com
Al-Qaida has operatives currently within the United States who are
preparing to mount a major terrorist attack on America this summer,
according to government intelligence deemed to be highly credible.
The prediction was made public after a study by the International
Institute of Strategic Studies revealed that despite the elimination of
many top terror leaders � President Bush says two thirds of al-Qaida's
leadership has been killed or captured � the terror network responsible
for 9-11 still has a functioning leadership and over 18,000 potential
terrorists in its global network, reports Fox News.
In response, Attorney General John Ashcroft and FBI Director Robert S.
Mueller will hold a joint press conference later today to describe what is
known of the threat. They will also ask Americans to be on the lookout for
several particular al-Qaida operatives, reports the Washington Post.
Intelligence obtained last month pointing to a major attack on the
American homeland sometime before Labor Day is corroborated by other intel
"chatter" revolving around the change in government in Spain that
immediately followed al-Qaida's March 11 bombings in that country. Osama
bin Laden's terror network was reportedly emboldened and inspired by the
apparent Spanish capitulation to terror.
"They saw that an attack of that nature can have economic and political
consequences and have some impact on the electoral process," one federal
official privy to counterterrorism intelligence told the Post.
Probable targets? Both of the presidential nominating conventions this
summer � the Democrats in Boston and the Republicans in New York � as well
as the World War II Memorial ceremony this Saturday in Washington, D.C.,
and the Group of Eight summit June 8-10 in Georgia. Also of concern,
outside the U.S., are the Summer Olympic Games in this August in Greece.
What kind of attack? Biggest concerns are over use a chemical,
biological or radiological weapon that could cause much more damage and
casualties than a conventional bomb. But, according to one FBI bulletin to
law enforcement agencies, truck bombs are also a key concern. Still
another FBI bulletin warns of suicide bombers � replete with warnings
about people dressed in bulky jackets during warm weather, clothing that
smells like chemicals or has trailing electrical wires, and the like.
Bombers also could be disguised as pregnant women, the memo cautions.
The Department of Homeland Security's top intelligence official,
retired Lt. Gen. Patrick Hughes, warned earlier this month that al-Qaida
may be planning to use a chemical or biological weapon in the U.S.,
mentioning specifically, anthrax and ricin.
"If the past is indeed prologue, then we are going to screw up, or they
are going to get lucky. I can't sleep," Hughes said, according to the
Associated Press.
Asking the public's help
In a news conference yesterday, Los Angeles Police Department
counterterrorism expert John Miller said: "We would be foolhardy to ignore
those statements, but I think it would be irresponsible to panic."
And New York Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly says his city has not
been warned of a specific terrorist plot there, Fox News reports. "We are
receiving highly sensitive intelligence information on a regular basis,
including today, and there is nothing in that reporting to indicate a
specific threat or looming attack against New York City," Kelly said in a
statement.
In response to the threats, the FBI has created a special task force
focused entirely on this summer's terror threat. It is designed to make
sure no valuable pieces of information or intelligence go unconnected with
other bits of information � a syndrome widely blamed for the agency's
failure to anticipate and prevent the catastrophic Sept. 11 attacks.
Ominously, one counterterrorism official told the Post, it is necessary
for al-Qaida to pull off a large attack that kills large numbers of
people, such as an attack on airlines or ships. Smaller attacks, such as a
suicide bombing, would appear "weak" to the terror groups financiers, he
said.
American citizens will reportedly be asked for their help in locating
several suspected terrorist sympathizers, the Post reports. One person of
interest, said the report, would likely be 32-year-old Aafia Siddiqui, a
Pakistani woman with a doctorate in neurological science, as well as a man
Siddiqui has been linked to, Adnan G. El Shukrijumah � a suspected member
of al-Qaida.
Indeed, it was a member of the public � not law enforcement � that
finally identified and was responsible for the capture of the Beltway
snipers. Federal officials are evidently hoping Americans are up to the
challenge again.
The International Institute of Strategic Studies' "Strategic Survey
2003-4" says the U.S. remains al-Qaida's prime target, and quotes one of
the network's leaders as saying 4 million Americans will have to be killed
"as a prerequisite to any Islamic victory," according to a report by the
Associated Press.
"Al-Qaida must be expected to keep trying to develop more promising
plans for terrorist operations in North America and Europe, potentially
involving weapons of mass destruction," the think tank's director John
Chipman told a news conference, AP reported. At the same time, Chipman
added, the terror group will continue its attacks on "soft targets
encompassing Americans, Europeans and Israelis and aiding the insurgency
in Iraq."
Vice President Dick Cheney, national security adviser Condoleezza Rice
and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld have all said they expect another
terrorist attack before the November election, reports AP.
