http://www.geostrategy-direct.com/geostrategy-direct/secure/2010/11_10/ba.as p?
Terror indicators lighting up around nation, world U.S. intelligence and security agencies say the plot by Al Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula to blow up airliners was first discovered Oct. 28 and was preceded by growing indicators that Islamist terrorists were stepping up activities both abroad and in the United States. U.S. officials trying to connect the dots of several recent incidents say four shootings by unidentified gunman at the Pentagon and military facilities in the Washington area is one sign. The arrest of a Southwest Asian man who was plotting to blow up Washington area subways and who was caught by an FBI sting operation was another. The FBI, concerned about the indicators, pulled the trigger on a sting operation that led to the arrest on Oct. 29 of Farooque Ahmed, who was charged with plotting to attack the Washington, D.C. subway system. Although there are no indications that the plot involved overseas jihadists, the FBI affidavit in the case revealed that at least one associate of Ahmed remains at large. Ahmed, a Pakistan-born U.S. citizen, was detected in January as he and an associate sought to contact a terrorist group that would help them travel abroad to fight allied forces in Afghanistan or Pakistan. Ahmed was fooled by the FBI sting into thinking he was working with Al Qaida terrorists in the U.S. FBI Director Robert Mueller said Oct. 25 in a speech in Florida that nine years ago the main threat was Al Qaida but that "today we still confront the prospect of a large-scale attack by Al Qaida central." "But we also face a growing threat from Al Qaida affiliates, from the attempted Christmas Day bombing by Al Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, to the failed Times Square bombing by TTP, a militant group in Pakistan," Mueller said. Al Qaida and its offshoots also may attempt smaller scale attacks involving less planning and fewer operational preparations. He also stated that "threats from homegrown terrorists are also of great concern." "These individuals are harder to detect, easily able to connect with other extremists on the Internet, and-in some instances-highly capable operationally," he said. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, also speaking in Florida, warned that "we're operating under the premise that individuals prepared to carry out terrorist acts are in the country, and may carry out these acts of violence with little or no warning." "Instead of foreign-origin attacks inside the country, events of the past couple years show that we need to mitigate homegrown threats that are planned within the U.S., or carried out by individuals who are living here." The remarks by Mueller and Napolitano on the growing threat of an attack by domestic home-grown terrorists contrasts with the remarks of Britain's MI-6 intelligence service director, John Sawers, who said in London that foreign Al Qaida terrorists from the Middle East and South Asia pose the greatest danger of a major attack. "Some of these terrorists are British citizens, trained in how to use weapons, how to make bombs," Sawers said in his first public speech as director. "Others are foreign nationals who want to attack us to undermine our support for forces of moderation around the world." Sawers said Al Qaida is rooted in a nihilistic version of Islam and has ambitious goals, including "weakening the power of the West, toppling moderate Islamic regimes, seizing the holy places of Islam to give them moral authority, taking control of the Arab world's oil reserves." "They're unlikely to achieve these goals, but they remain set on trying, and are ready to use extreme violence." Sawers said the director of the domestic intelligence service, Jonathan Evans of MI5, recently revealed that threat is intensifying from abroad as security services close down terrorist recruitment and planning in Britain. "Extremists are increasingly preparing their attacks against British targets from abroad," Sawers said. "It's not just the border areas of Afghanistan and Pakistan. Al-Qaida affiliates in Yemen, Somalia and North Africa pose real threats to the UK." [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ -------------------------- Want to discuss this topic? Head on over to our discussion list, [email protected]. -------------------------- Brooks Isoldi, editor [email protected] http://www.intellnet.org Post message: [email protected] Subscribe: [email protected] Unsubscribe: [email protected] *** FAIR USE NOTICE. This message contains copyrighted material whose use has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. 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