FOR Archive ====================== Islamic Terrorism in the United States (2001) by Yossef Bodansky ASCF National Security Fellow The explosion that shook New York, and the rest of America, was only the beginning. The World Trade Center bombing and the second terrorist network exposed in late June are but a prelude to an escalation of Islamic terror in the United States. The Islamic world has embarked on a Holy War -- Jihad --against the West, especially the United States, that is being waged primarily through international terrorism. Unlike past terrorist campaigns, this war will be waged on American soil. In assessing the extent of the threat facing the U.S., it should be emphasized that Islamic international terrorism is state controlled. The terrorist sponsoring states, led by Iran, followed by Syria, Sudan, and Pakistan, consider international terrorism an indispensable instrument of state policy. At present, the leaders in Tehran, Damascus, and Khartoum, are convinced that they must prevent, virtually at all cost, the emergence of a post-Cold War world in which the U.S. is the sole super-power and western democratic values dominate. The terrorist controlling states are determined to prevail in this fateful confrontation. In this respect, no effort nor expense is being spared. Declaring War On The West That Islamic terrorism operates in the U.S. should not have come as a shock or surprise. The bombing of the World Trade Center was a logical step in the unfolding of the Islamic grand strategy. This strategy has been in the making for several years, its objectives clearly stated. Ultimately, its implementation was only a matter of time. As of the summer of 1989, and even more so since the Gulf Crisis, the international network of the HizbAllah, under tight Iranian and Syrian control, has actively prepared for an escalatory surge of operations against the West, specifically against America and Americans, including attacks inside the United States. Intense preparations for implementing this declaration of war took place over the next two years, and were intensified in the aftermath of the Gulf Crisis. In early 1992, there was a major leap forward in the Islamics' preparations for a terrorist campaign. The Armed Islamic Movement [AIM], was consolidated from among the ranks of the worldwide Muslim Brotherhood with its world center in Khartoum, Sudan. An elite force of Islamic internal terrorists was established by Iran last summer from among the very best terrorists and networks of both the HizbAllah and AIM. It is already poised to strike on behalf of the leaders in Tehran, Damascus, and Khartoum. Indeed, since the fall of 1992, there has been a marked escalation in Islamic terror, subversion and violence in such diversified countries as India, Pakistan, Israel, Egypt, Jordan, Algeria, Nigeria, Somalia, and many others. Despite the seemingly different circumstances and conditions of these incidents, they are not isolated cases. In fact, they are the first incidents in the escalation of the Islamic Jihad against the Judeo-Christian world order. The climax of this struggle will be a spate of terrorism throughout the West, especially in the United States. Thus, the bombing of the World Trade Center was among the very first incidents signalling the beginning of the decisive phase of the Islamics' Jihad, when they declare war on America. Awaiting Orders To Strike The magnitude of the terrorist threat should not be underestimated. The terrorist controlling states and their proteges have prepared for an escalation of terrorism for several years. Consequently, highly professional and proficient Islamic terrorist cells and networks, already in place in the United States, Canada as well as in Western Europe, are ready for such an escalation. These, the HizbAllah operational center in Lebanon, and the AIM operational centers in Sudan, Pakistan, and Afghanistan, are being reinforced by supplies and expert terrorists from Iran, Syria and many other Islamic countries. An instrument of state policy, the HizbAllah-AIM terrorist system and its networks now await orders from Tehran to launch their next operations. Since the early 1980s, and even more so since the early 1990s, as a major component of the strategic alliance between Iran, Syria, Sudan, and Pakistan, Islamic terrorist systems have been unified, expanded, and consolidated into the world's most lethal system of international terrorism. During the 1980s, Iran and Syria brought the state control, sponsoring, and support of international terrorism into new heights. For ideological reasons, Iran first concentrated on Shi'ite terrorism, the HizbAllah, which is now in the forefront of Islamic terrorism. Syria has a long tradition of sponsoring radicals, primarily Palestinians, and providing them with high-levels of expertise. In Sudan, Iran accomplished a comparable feat with AIM in a remarkably short time. The primary target of all these efforts is America. Tracing The Terror Network The true significance of the recent terrorist strikes and attempted strikes in the U.S. is their state sponsorship. The extent of Iranian control over the Islamic terrorist network in New York, sponsorship exercised both directly and via close allies such as Sudan and Pakistan, is best reflected in the direct interrelationship between the key decision making events in Tehran and Khartoum, and the unfolding of the terrorist conspiracy in the U.S. As discussed above, the terrorist strikes of 1993 are the culmination of a lengthy process of consolidation since the summer of 1989. This process began by the Iranian decision to transfer the war to the U.S. Most important are the events since the outbreak of the Gulf Crisis in the summer of 1990. Active preparations for the escalation of the terrorist campaign began in early 1990 in local Islamic cells throughout the U.S. These activities contributed to the improved cohesion of the Islamic members of the various networks, and to the solidification of their cells. The New York area Islamic network that would carry out the World Trade Center bombing was actively involved in these early preparations. The Emergence of Egyptian Cleric Shaykh Abd-al-Rahman A major up-grading of the Islamic network in the U.S., and especially the New York area, took place in May 1990, when Shaykh Umar Abd-al-Rahman arrived in the U.S. and began organizing the central command. An Egyptian, Shaykh Abd-al-Rahman was involved in political violence in Egypt since the late 1970s, including the assassination of President Sadat in 1981, and, since 1986, has also been active in Islamic international terrorism. The build-up process in the New York area would continue until the beginning of the Gulf crisis when the Islamic networks in the U.S. were ordered to reduce their activities. During the Gulf Crisis, Tehran decided to prevent Baghdad from gaining Islamic legitimacy through the conduct of terrorist strikes at the heart of the West and, therefore, ordered the networks to lie low until after the Crisis. In March 1991, Tehran decided that the time was ripe for the resumption of preparations for the terrorist campaign in the U.S. Toward this end, Iran dispatched several hit teams and expert terrorists to Canada for operations in the U.S., both independent and in support of local networks. One of these hit teams would assassinate Mrs. Rafizadeh, the wife and sister-in-law of senior intelligence officials of the Shah's regime, in New Jersey on March 26, 1992. A milestone in the emergence of Islamic terrorism in the U.S. took place on October 18, 1991. The International Terrorist Summit, convened in Tehran, decided on a rejuvenated Jihad in the U.S. as part of the Iranian-led pan-Islamic strategy of confronting Pax-Americana. In the fall of 1991, Shaykh Abd-al-Rahman, the spiritual leader of the U.S. network, and his aides received specific instructions to accelerate their preparations. Indeed, until November 1991, the New York network was accelerating its preparations to the point of considering specific designs and plans. It was then time for the controlling states to reexamine the U.S. networks and issue new instructions. These sessions took place in December 1991, under the cover of an Islamic conference in Phoenix. Senior Islamic cadres in the U.S. were briefed on the resolutions of the conferences in Tehran and Khartoum, the strategic plans for the Jihad, and on the emergence of the joint command and control system. The early spring of 1992 saw the emergence of AIM in Khartoum under the leadership of Shayk Hassani al-Turabi, the Spiritual leader of Sudan following an Islamic military coup in 1989. Turabi played a crucial role in Sudan's integration into the Tehran-dominated system of international terrorism. The establishment of AIM essentially facilitated the institutionalization of Sunni Islamic international terrorism and its complete integration into the Iran-dominated international terrorist network. These developments took place in the aftermath of the milestone visit by Hashemi-Rafsanjani and a large Iranian delegation to Khartoum in December 1991 and the comprehensive strategic agreements concluded between Iran and Sudan, agreements that in effect transformed Sudan into an Iranian fiefdom. In the early spring of 1992, Tehran and Damascus also tested their ability to conduct a major sabotage operation in America. The test run culminated in the blowing up of the Israeli embassy in Buenos Aires on March 17, 1992. Following the consolidation of AIM in the spring of 1992, there was a corresponding expansion of the authority of Shaykh Abd-al-Rahman as the Islamic spiritual leader in, and special envoy to, the U.S. Abd-al-Rahman now had the authority to approve terrorist operations. Meanwhile, the terrorist leaders received specific instructions to closely examine select contingency plans -- mainly assassinations in the New York area and sabotage all over the country -- in preparations for the imminent activation of some Islamic networks in the U.S. The consolidation of AIM also manifested itself in the tightening of working relations between Tehran and such Sunni Islamic organizations as Abd-al-Rahman's Egyptian followers. By now, Tehran was making special efforts to align the leading Sunni organizations, primarily these with ideological standing and popular support, with the Tehran-led terrorist establishment. A major breakthrough took place in July 1992 when Tehran agreed to assist with advanced training in Iran and Sudan, financing and providing weapons for plans to escalate the Jihad against Cairo. By the fall of 1992, the main Egyptian Islamic groups were being integrated into the Iranian-HizbAllah terrorist system. It is therefore not by accident that the Egyptian Islamic Jihad began issuing communiques from Tehran in December 1992. It was during these 1992 negotiations between Iran and the Peshawar-based Egyptian Islamics, that their active participation in the Iran-led international terrorism, especially in the U.S., was discussed and studied. The ability to operate under the direct guidance of their spiritual mentor, Shaykh Abd-al-Rahman, was irresistible to the Egyptians who committed many members of their community and worldwide networks to the operation. As Mahmud Abouhalima, the commander of the first cell in New York, would later recall, it was in that time that Iranian intelligence officers arrived in Peshawar to discuss the New York operations with the Egyptian Islamics. The operational specifics concerning the role of the Egyptian Islamics were ultimately decided upon in Tehran and Khartoum by the terrorist high command. By now, the terrorist leaders felt that it was imperative to closely examine and verify the extent of the preparations by the U.S. Islamic network. Thus, in June 1992, Turabi, the leader of AIM, and a high level delegation visited the U.S. and Canada. In New York, they conducted major consultations with Abd-al-Rahman on the viability of the terrorist networks, as well as the ability of the U.S. Islamic community to withstand the backlash from major terrorist operations. The two leaders also met with senior terrorist commanders who would soon lead the key cells of the New York network. Soon afterwards, Iranian and AIM terrorist experts met in Khartoum to analyze the findings of Turabi's visit to the U.S. They recommended to Tehran that terrorism should start in the U.S. on or around March 19, 1993, al-Quds day. Their judgement was accepted for, in early September 1992, expert terrorists began arriving in the U.S. to oversee the actual preparations and operations. Consequently, in November 1992, the initial preparations for the first cell of the New York network were completed. Materials for mixing explosives were acquired and stored. The "expendables," auxiliary terrorists who would be left behind to be captured by the law enforcement authorities, were recruited and implicated. After a thorough study of the conditions in New York, the team of expert terrorists decided on specific objectives and details of the operational plans. Soon afterwards, in December 1992, two senior aides of Abd-al-Rahman arrived in New York to oversee the planned terrorist operations. Testing American Resolve: The CIA Shootings >From December 1992 through January 1993, Tehran conducted a strategic >test of the entire concept of a U.S. operation. The former foreign minister, Ibrahim Yazdi, arrived on a secret mission with a reconciliation initiative at the same time that Tehran transmitted through back channels an explicit threat of "war between the SAVAMA and the CIA." Yazdi's initiative was rebuffed. On January 24, 1993, Mir Aimal Kansi, a Pakistani Iranian agent, calmly shot several people at the gates of the CIA headquarters in Langley, demonstrating that Tehran was serious. From January 22-26, 1993, Tehran further tested the U.S. reaction system in the form of phone calls from the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine threatening to blow up a sky scraper in New York. Since there was no special reaction from Washington, Tehran concluded that the terrorist operations should proceed as planned. Final Preparations for the World Trade Center Bombing Tehran committed itself to launching the first terrorist strike in New York in early February 1993, during a terrorist conference convened in Tehran. During the conference, a select team of senior officials and commanders decided on the activation of the New York operation defined as "targeting buildings for bomb spectaculars." Having been notified on the Tehran decision, the New York network made final preparations and checks of its capabilities in mid February 1993. Consequently, on February 19, 1993, the network's immediate AIM high command convened in Khartoum and after a thorough review of the details gave the green light for the operation. Auxiliary assets were activated immediately. On February 22, 1993, the Iranian support and exfiltration network in Toronto, Canada was activated and began preparing safe houses, airline tickets, etc. for terrorists expected to have to escape from New York very soon. In New York, two expert terrorists, later identified as Iraqis, materialized from nowhere, closely inspected the preparations of the first cell, and provided crucial assistance in preparing the bomb and the rest of the operation. On February 26, 1993, a huge car bomb exploded under the World Trade Center, causing 6 fatalities, over 1,000 injuries, and damage in the billions. The first cell of the New York Islamic network had struck at the heart of the Great Satan. Planning A Rash of Terror The Islamic network moved swiftly to prepare for subsequent operations. On March 19, 1993, al-Quds Day, officials arrived in New York for a gathering of Islamic activists to discuss overall policy and terrorist contingency plans in the aftermath of the World Trade Center bombing. They concluded that the network's other cells were solid and capable of conducting operations. Indeed, in mid April 1993, a second cell of the New York network was activated and began preparations for specific operations. The terrorist masters continued to closely monitor and guide the preparations in New York. In April 1993, during a terrorist conference in Tehran, the select group of senior commanders and officials met again to discuss, study and approve the next cycle of terrorist operations in the U.S. They ordered the New York network to accelerate the activities of the second cell. Consequently, between late April and early June 1993, the second cell of the New York network actively prepared for several terrorist operations in the New York area. Once the cell was certain that they were ready to move, Tehran and Khartoum closely inspected the situation. On June 9, 1993, expert terrorists arrived in New York as part of an Iranian diplomatic delegation to closely and personally check the capabilities of the terrorists, especially to verify their ability to carry out such a ambitious plan for numerous simultaneous bombings all over Manhattan. The Iranians were satisfied with what they saw. Then, on June 12-13, 1993, an extraordinary meeting in Khartoum was chaired by Turabi. There, the AIM high command studied once more the impending New York operations and gave the green light for the final preparations and execution of the series of bombings in New York, now planned for July 4th. The second cell began their final preparations on June 20, 1993. They would not complete them because, on June 24, 1993, they were arrested by the law enforcement authorities while mixing the explosives. A Warning to the West The bombing of the World Trade Center was a milestone of global and historical perspective, not so much in bringing the Islamic terrorism already prevailing in the U.S. to public attention, but in pushing the Islamic community, both in the U.S. and world wide, across a red line. The terrorist plots in New York clearly demonstrated that it was now both permissible and possible to strike at the heart of America. In essence, the primary legacy of the bombing is the encouragement for like minded to follow. Indeed, French experts believe that the New York bombing amounts to "the beginning of a 'war' between radical Islam and the United States." The bombing of the World Trade Center must be considered a strategic operation. It therefore ought to be examined in the context of the ongoing development of the entire Islamic movement, its internal dynamics and policy vis-a-vis the West, especially the United States. It should be remembered that Tehran has never denied it was using terrorism to fight the enemies of the Islamic Revolution. Iran continuously tightens its control over the Islamic international terrorist movement, ensuring that it remains an instrument of Tehran's policy. Indeed, in the summer of 1992, the Iranian Minister of Intelligence and Security Forces, explained that Iran has "a foreign intelligence department that collates the conspiracies hatched by world arrogance against the Islamic Revolution." He acknowledged that Iranian intelligence conducts violent covert operations all over the world, and that "those activities are on the increase every day." Iran's spiritual leader, Ayatollah Ali Hussayn Khamene'i, acknowledged that terrorist organizations are an integral part of Iran's long arm. He warned the West against confronting Iran, pointing out that "they should know that the strength of the Islamic Republic of Iran is in the strength of faith of its HizbAllah forces." Tehran's use of covert operations to fight its enemies all over the world continues to grow. Its declared commitment to the struggle against the enemies of the Islamic Revolution through covert and terrorist operations serves as a bench mark for understanding the Iranian bombing in New York, its ramifications, and predicting subsequent events. Back in early March 1993, Tehran directly linked the New York bombing with the lessons of the 1980-81 hostage crisis, and warned Washington of comparable disastrous ramifications to the current Democratic administration. Tehran explained that "the Democrats want to take their chances once again against the Islamic Revolution. The Democratic Party got a taste of the power of the Islamic Revolution when the Shah was toppled and again with the fall of the Nest of Spies. But maybe the inexperienced bosses in Washington think that their luck might change with a new test, producing different results." In contrast with the change of guard in Washington, Iranian policy remains consistent, rooted in uncompromising struggle and defiance. Tehran warned the U.S. against taking any initiative against Iran while reaffirming Iran's own commitment to ultimately triumph over the U.S. "Over the past 14 years the Islamic Revolution sharpened its claws on both political parties in the U.S., and was victorious in all fields. It defeated all the aggressive American bosses. In this case, if anybody in Washington is still thinking of a new test of strength, they should think hard about this point: Nothing has changed, and America is dealing in this struggle with a nation that knows how to take on its aggressive enemies and bring them to their knees again." Since then, several Iranian leaders have discussed the most expedient ways and means to implement the new struggle with the U.S. For example, Ali Akbar Mohtashemi, one of the original leaders of Iran's terrorist system and the HizbAllah, emphasized that Iran must clearly demonstrate its commitment to a confrontation and warned against any appearance of moderation because it may create a false impression about Tehran's commitment to the struggle with the U.S. "If the Clinton administration harbors false ideas about the Iranian system, it is playing with fire," he stated in late May. Considering that Mohtashemi still holds a position of great influence over Iran's terrorist establishment, his warning is of extreme importance. Similarly, in mid July 1993, Iran's Spiritual Leader, Ayatollah Khamene'i, delivered a key speech to select members of the Nation of the HizbAllah. The main theme of the speech was the inseparability of the world wide threats and transgressions against Islam from the national strategy of Tehran. He stressed that it is the United States at the lead of "satanic powers" that constitutes the greatest challenge to Tehran and Islam as a whole. Khamene'i attributed the current threats to the entire Muslim World, to the "ominous designs" conspired by Washington, and vowed that Iran will take resolute steps to counter and avenge the threat. "The gullibility and naivety of America's present authorities are exposed by the point that they have failed to understand that satanic deeds against our great, courageous and devoted [Muslim world] and against the state of Iran with its spiritual power will have no effect other than further disgracing the perpetrators, and they will be defeated in confrontation. We will continue the path of Islam with strength and might, as the Revolution and the Imam have taught us." Thus, although Tehran officially denies any connection with Islamic terrorism in the U.S., it continues to deliver clear threats in commenting on the plots in New York. In early July, Tehran stressed that "the enemies of Islam are not safe from Muslims' anger in any part of the world." Tehran has no illusions that the pursuit of these enemies of Islam, and especially the Great Satan, will be a lengthy and painful process. This point was succinctly stated back in early March, in one of the first Islamic analyses of the ramifications of the bombing of the World Trade Center to come out of Tehran. "According to the divine traditions, tyranny never goes unpunished in the world. The arrogant U.S. policies are entirely comprised of tyranny and aggression. Even though initially tyranny inflicts anguish on the oppressed, ultimately, divine wrath gives the devout persons the upper hand and they annihilate the tyrant." Target: America The Tehran-led Islamics are convinced that they are on the verge of a marked escalation in their fateful Jihad against the United States and the West. Symbols of Islam's, and especially Iran's, ability to reach and strike at the very heart of the Great Satan, demonstrated through spectacular acts of terrorism, will constitute the main weapons in this struggle. The bombing plots in New York were such a strategic strikes in this Jihad aimed at demonstrating the Islamics' reach and announcing the opening of a new escalatory phase in their war against America. Thus, the bombing in New York was indeed but a prelude to a new terrorist campaign in which America is the target. Ultimately, while Iran, Syria, Sudan, Pakistan and their allies control the most effective international terrorist networks in the United States led by a large number of expert terrorists and operatives. However, the extent of their ability to sustain operations and strike repeatedly also depends on the Islamic communities within which they seek shelter and from which they receive support. Thus, irrespective of whether the alleged perpetrators acted alone, or whether either of them was a formal member of a subversive group, the fact remains that they were involved in violent crime or conspiracy motivated by radical Islamic beliefs. The very existence of these acts of terrorism testifies to the existence of a vibrant Islamic communal structure in the U.S. that has been harboring, supporting, and recruiting Islamic terrorists, both individuals and networks. Now that the masters of Islamic international terrorism have given the order to strike, there should be no doubt that the bombing and plots in New York were indeed only the beginning. Published @ National Security Caucus Foundation http://www.nscf.net/ THE END ==^================================================================ EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?bUrHhl.bVKZIr Or send an email To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] This email was sent to: [email protected] T O P I C A -- Register now to manage your mail! http://www.topica.com/partner/tag02/register ==^================================================================
