War against terror

[theavonlady 2]

IMO unless they knew nothing at all about the attackers, it was a panic decision, and a wrong one.

But then none of us know what information was available to them, so its pointless to speculate. All i can say is a much more skilled agency would have used what they had to unravel the whole plot, rather than going public, unless of course, it was the only choice they had (no other leads).

Unfortunately, we here have specific warnings in specific areas of Israel, now about once or twice a week. About a 3rd of them lead to a specific target but many are eventually called off when the threat is determined to have subsided.

Sometimes all the skill in the world will not lead you to the individual(s) your are looking for like a needle in a haystack but you can scare them off if you tighen the perimeters.

This is not the movies, where the plot neccesarily gets more intriguing as you go along. Better safe than sorry.

[Pathy 0]

And thats why i said "unless they know nothing about the attackers". Do you think that as soon as a terrorist suspect and plot is discovered, an intelligence agency is going to instantly call a press conference and tell the world? No, instead they are going to quietly mop as much up as possibly, quietly increase security and THEN, either if the politicians panic (and as you said, all the skill in the world cant stop every attack, and if it happens, then you get another 9/11 style inquiry that damages politicians.....), or there is no other option in stopping the attacks (and time is running, or percieved to be, out), and you get an announcement like we did. By their very nature, intel. organisations do not disclose every investigation they do...unless there is no other option...it would do more harm than good.

Sure its not the movies, there are no Arnies who save the world with 2 seconds remaining, no fancy gadgets and probably no kung-foo fighting secret agents, but intel agencies should not endanger thier chance of catching terrorists by calling a premature press conference.

In this case, we do not know whether it was premature or not, none of us has the relevant information to judge that...i'm just saying that i'm suprised to see such an announcement being made.....this either points to politicians panicking when they think of the consequences of an attack which they knew about but didnt issue a warning, or the FBI and CIA et al having no real chance chance of catching the guys and instead opting for warnings and increased security to scare them off or make an attack impossible.

Thats just my opinion, however ill informed it is, please respect it

[bn880 5]

well, my personal advice is to take all these "super duper public reports" with a grain of salt. More often then not they may be engineered at preventing an attack or disrupting the plans of the enemy, but in substance they will be completely false. (or engineered for support)

You just don't know what kind of propaganda they want to send across to Al Qaeda etc.

Remember, everything the intel community tells you, it gets to the threats as well. So they will tell you the opposite of what they know.

[walker 0]

Hi all

***Breaking News***

Quote[/b] ]Police arrest 13 in terror raids

Thirteen men have been arrested in London and three counties under the Terrorism Act in what police have said was a pre-planned operation.

The arrests were made in north west London, Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire and Blackburn in Lancashire.

Police said the men, aged in their 20s and 30s, were suspected of involvement in the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism.

Officers from the Met's Anti-Terrorist branch were supported by local forces.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/3533488.stm

Witnesses say the arrested men were hancuffed and their hands sealed in plastic bags.

Kind Regards Walker

[Longinius 1]

I have a question to those of you living in the UK.

Now, it seems to me more suspected terrorists have been arrested in UK lately than in the US. Yet, the US government, and media coverage of this, is clearly outgunning the UK one with alerts, level of awareness, suspected threats etc.

Or am I wrong, maybe you guys have a lot of these alerts to but it isnt covered well outside of the UK?

[GoOB 0]

Increasing security and preventing terrorists from getting to where they want to is extremly good, however "terrorist alerts" and similar things only alarm citizens further and hamper with their lives.

The fact that there are lets say a hundred known terrorists in London alone wouldn't do the common person on the street much good, would it? Rather the opposite. Because when and if a terrorist decides to detonate his bomb there is little, or nothing you can do to protect yourself, it might just be my view. But I'd rather not know of the possible terrorists in my vicinity, but I would ofcourse want the police and security police to know.

If there are very few terrorist alerts in the UK, I'd say that is very prudent of the authorities. Putting out unneccesary alerts only scares your own population. Ofcourse alerts should be put out when there is an immediate danger of people getting injured or killed.

Too many people in my "social relations pool", were afraid of getting in an airplane after 9/11. Some still are, but imagine the situation in America where the citizens are pumped with new terror alerts every week or so.

EDIT: Spelling, spelling and spelling.

[Longinius 1]

Thats exactly what I was getting at. If the UK manages to stop and arrest terrorists without issueing tons of warnings, it seems like a much better way to deal with it.

Unless of course you have other reasons to issue the warnings.

[theavonlady 2]

Thats exactly what I was getting at. If the UK manages to stop and arrest terrorists without issueing tons of warnings, it seems like a much better way to deal with it.

Unless of course you have other reasons to issue the warnings.

The method works over here and has proven to be effective.

[Badgerboy 0]

Thats exactly what I was getting at. If the UK manages to stop and arrest terrorists without issueing tons of warnings, it seems like a much better way to deal with it.

Unless of course you have other reasons to issue the warnings.

We've been dealing with threats for decades. They found out in the 80's that calling in all potential threats, and announcing them to the public just pissed people off, and cost millions upon millions to implement.

We just let the police get on with their job, and we get on with ours.

[Longinius 1]

By "over here" I assume you mean Israel? The difference there would be that most of your alerts are often spot on and there it isnt just threats, its a real danger (as we have often seen). So far the warnings in the US have been "Wolf!" cries which hasnt really done anything more than scare the population. The UK has managed to achieve the same result (preventing terror attacks) but without scaring the population.

[theavonlady 2]

So far the warnings in the US have been "Wolf!" cries

Rhey were likely false alarms or even possibly real alarms with terrorists backing down on plans.

[walker 0]

Hi Avon

What was learned in the UK is that the Wolf! cries are what the terrorists want.

They want an administration who shouts Wolf! because:

1) People will believe it maybe 3 times after that they say oh this will be just like the last time we can ignore it.

2) It keeps the nation in a state of terror and disrupts the economy.

3) It lets the terrorists know where the leaks are in their security. Terrorist will plan multiple attacks each with different cells they then use these hoax attacks as a kind of bubble sort to find out cells with lax security. Those cells are often sacrificed in misdirection attacks.

4) When the real attack comes the people complain that the administration are weak as they keep chasing fantasy enemies while the real ones are free to build their forces.

5) It reduces trust in the administration.

6) It reduces trust in the security services.

7) It reduces trust in the Police.

8) It fractures society.

In the UK over the 30 years of IRA attacks this was learned. They now hunt the terrorists down quietly.

Terrorists love the war on terrorism it is asymetric just the way they want it. It turns the civilians, security services, military, police and administration into the paranoid guy with terrorist alerts constantly looking over his shoulder jumping at shadows.

Effective anti terrorism is the hunt. It turns the terrorist in to the guy who has to be constantly looking over his shoulder in paranoia.

The strategic failure in the US is that George Bush Jnr. finds the stealthy pursuit of prey in the hunt too boring he calls it 'swating flies' he wants big victories of WW II like his dad had when he won the war against Hitler, Musolini, and Tojo and hey even that guy Stalin. He wants a war on terrorism.

In the UK now every Al Qaida operative is shivering behind the door waiting for it to be smashed in. In the street he is waiting for the tap on the shoulder or the shout of 'Armed Police! Hands in the air.' he will be glancing over his shoulder acting suspiciously, his neighbours will notice. In the car every time he sees a police car he will start to drive a little faster or slower arousing suspision. We want the stealthy hunt for terrorists.

Kind Regards Walker

[billybob2002 0]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A37872-2004Aug3.html

Quote[/b] ]

U.S. Capitol Police Focused on Terror

Recent Moves Part of Broader Strategy

By Sari Horwitz

Washington Post Staff Writer

Wednesday, August 4, 2004; Page B01

U.S. Capitol Police Chief Terrance W. Gainer has taken several aggressive steps in recent months to heighten security around the Capitol, including retraining officers to shoot a suspected suicide bomber in the head if other efforts to stop an attack fail.

Gainer's decision Monday to close a major thoroughfare and impose 14 vehicle checkpoints on Capitol Hill was one piece of a much larger security strategy, which has included intensive training with Israeli counterterrorism experts and bomb technicians.

In addition, Gainer said he is urging congressional officials to create a "virtual fence" that would allow his officers to search any person who steps onto the Capitol grounds, a significant expansion of current policies on searching visitors.

The decision to restrict traffic drew criticism from city officials who said it would cause gridlock and send the wrong message to tourists and residents. That debate may foreshadow an even tenser exchange over how much to curtail public movement in the name of security.

"We are trying to present ourselves as the capital of the free world . . . and lead by example," said Rep. James P. Moran Jr. (D-Va.). "To have the right to search anyone whenever they step on the Capitol grounds, when they don't even try to enter a building, is overreaching."

Rep. Thomas M. Davis III (R-Va.), chairman of the House Government Reform Committee, which oversees the District, agreed that new restrictions would be a nuisance. "I can't overstate the inconvenience this is going to be to people who want to do business at the Capitol," he said.

But Davis defended the measures, including the expanded searches, as necessary. "We had two police officers killed," Davis said, referring to the slaying of two Capitol Police officers in 1998. "We've got a number of threats going on. People who don't want to be searched don't need to come on Capitol grounds."

For some time, Gainer said, he had contemplated closing part of First Street NE, which runs between two Senate office buildings. When Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge on Sunday raised the threat level in Washington to orange, Gainer and several congressional leaders seized the opportunity to close the road. Gainer said he knew the plan would spark heated debate.

"Given the recent specific threat information, the bombings in Madrid and the warning about election threats, now is the moment to try to prevent a catastrophic event," Gainer said. "We need to be proactive."

Several federal law enforcement officials who work in counterterrorism, along with many others who work on Capitol Hill, said they believe that the Capitol was a target of the Sept. 11, 2001, hijackings and is still a prime target for terrorists. That belief, along with anthrax and ricin attacks on Senate offices, has frayed the nerves of many who work and live on Capitol Hill.

Since he became chief of the Capitol Police in 2002, Gainer, who is responsible for the security of the 535 members of Congress, has focused on what additional security measures could be instituted, he said.

In December 2002, he and several of his top commanders traveled to Israel with D.C. Police Chief Charles H. Ramsey, other police chiefs and FBI officials to receive training on how to prevent and respond to suicide bombings. The trip was arranged by the Police Executive Research Forum, a training and research group.

Gainer sent other members of the Capitol Police force to Israel for instruction and began retraining officers here using Israeli counterterrorism techniques. Last month, the head of the Israeli bomb squad traveled to Washington for a second time to meet with Gainer and Capitol Police officers.

In the past six months, Gainer issued a "general order" instructing officers on steps to take when confronted with a possible suicide bomber. If the suspect appears to be carrying explosives and refuses to stop and be searched or to cooperate otherwise, officers are instructed to shoot the suspect in the head.

.......

[billybob2002 0]

http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/europe/08/04/terror.arrests/index.html

Quote[/b] ]

Source: Pakistan link to UK swoop

Wednesday, August 4, 2004 Posted: 8:39 AM EDT (1239 GMT)

LONDON, England (CNN) -- At least one of 12 suspects held on suspicion of being involved in terrorist activities in Britain was arrested as a result of intelligence gathered from the arrest of a Pakistani computer expert, Pakistani intelligence officials tell CNN.

The officials say Naeem Noor Khan -- described as an al Qaeda computer expert -- told them that he frequently relayed messages from Pakistan to an important al Qaeda operative who runs a terror network in Britain.

After receiving this information, British authorities made their raids and arrested the person Khan had identified during his interrogation, the officials said.

British police have declined to comment on reports of a link between the arrests and the Pakistani intelligence.

Khan is believed to have traveled to Britain on a number of occasions, the officials say.

Anti-terrorist police in Britain were Wednesday questioning the 12 men following coordinated arrests in a dramatic series of daylight raids.

Police swooped in a planned operation at four locations Tuesday as part of inquiries into what they said was "alleged international terrorism."

Thirteen men, aged between 19 and 32, were seized "on suspicion of being concerned in the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism" under the Terrorism Act 2000. One was later released.

Journalist Susan Jameson, reporting from London's top-security Paddington Green police station, told CNN it was "a major and concerted operation by police."

The men being questioned Wednesday at Paddington Green by members of Scotland Yard's anti-terrorism branch.

The arrests Tuesday came in north west London, Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire and Lancashire.

Police told CNN that a 13th man arrested Tuesday in north London was "de-arrested shortly afterwards and released without further police action."

Search warrants were being executed at homes in the same areas, and the searches "are expected to take some time to complete," according to Scotland Yard.

The Metropolitan police statement did not disclose the nationalities of the men arrested, nor did it provide details of their alleged terrorist activities.

Police declined to specify the men's nationalities, but the BBC said they were all of South Asian descent and some were thought to be British citizens.

The U.S. is on heightened alert following the discovery of documents in Pakistan which apparently mention potential targets for attack both in the US and Britain.

Police would only say that the investigation leading to the British arrests had been under way for some time.

In a statement Scotland Yard said that the raids were part of a "pre-planned, on-going intelligence-led operation."

The statement added: "Yesterday's operation was part of continuing and extensive inquiries by police and the security services into alleged international terrorism."

The arrests came as Prime Minister Tony Blair came under pressure to spell out the level of the terrorism threat in Britain, as a massive security operation continued in U.S. cities. (Full story)

British TV pictures showed officers in fluorescent jackets searching a gold-colored Mercedes in the first public indication of the wide-ranging raids.

British police guard the U.S. embassy in London following this week's upgraded terror alert.  

Eyewitnesses in Blackburn told the corporation they had seen the arrests of two young men.

Ruth Lazell lives across the street from where one of Tuesday's raids took place, which she described as a large-scale operation.

"I came to the front window and saw quite a lot of armed police officers with guns pointing at two young Asian lads that were on the floor," Lazell told CNN Wednesday.

"Then some other officers came over with blue plastic suits on, put both suspects' arms into plastic bags. Their feet were then put into plastic bags and they were put in a white suit... and led away to an unmarked police car."

Police will have up to two weeks to hold the men before deciding whether to charge them, but courts grant that permission only a few days at a time.

Suspects arrested in previous anti-terrorism raids have often been released without charge before the two weeks expire.

Critics -- particularly among Muslim groups -- say that indicates police have been too quick to make arrests, a charge they deny.

Three months ago, the UK Home Office said that fewer than one-in-five of those arrested under the Terrorism Act 2000 had been charged with offences under the legislation.

By May this year, 562 people had been arrested under the Act since September 11 2001, Home Secretary David Blunkett said in a written parliamentary answer.

He said 97 had been charged with offences under the Act and that, of those, 14 were convicted. A total of 280 people were released without charge and with no further action being taken, he said.

[theavonlady 2]

***Breaking News***

Quote[/b] ]Police arrest 13 in terror raids

Thirteen men have been arrested in London and three counties under the Terrorism Act in what police have said was a pre-planned operation.

Quote[/b] ]Al-Qaeda ace may have been arrested in UK

British authorities are believed to have foiled a well-developed plot to bomb Heathrow Airport by one of al-Qaeda’s most senior operatives in Europe. The agent, known as Abu Eisa al Hindi, is believed to be among 13 men arrested by anti-terrorism police in Britain this week.

Twelve of the men, aged 19 to 32, are still being questioned by Scotland Yard detectives on suspicion of being involved in the “preparation or instigation of acts of terrorismâ€. Police have declined to confirm that Abu Eisa, described as al-Qaeda’s European chief, is one of those detained. If he is among those seized, it is believed his arrest may have been linked to the recent capture of al-Qaeda operatives in Pakistan.

Intelligence sources in Pakistan and the US have described the possible arrest of Abu Eisa as a vital breakthrough against attacks that authorities suspect are being planned in Britain and the US. An unnamed US official told The Washington Post he had access to detailed surveillance of five financial institutions in Washington, New Jersey and New York that was said to have been stored in the computer of a suspect arrested in Pakistan.

The key Pakistani operative has been identified as Mohammed Naeem Noor Khan. He is believed to have been in direct contact with Abu Eisa about plans for an attack at Heathrow, the busiest airport in the world.

[Pathy 0]

Thats exactly what I was getting at. If the UK manages to stop and arrest terrorists without issueing tons of warnings, it seems like a much better way to deal with it.

Unless of course you have other reasons to issue the warnings.

Thats what i meant when i was discussing with Avon about the intelligence agencies operating without giving it massive media coverage.....in the UK it tends to be very quiet until there is an arrest, with a few exceptions.

I think this is a much better way of operating. Of course, i can tell you why the USA doesnt.....the administration is scared shitless that if they dont issue a warning and there IS an attack, there will be enquiries, ect similar to the 9/11 aftermath, only much worse this time as they can hardly claim it was unprovoked in the same way they could over 9/11.

[theavonlady 2]

Thats exactly what I was getting at. If the UK manages to stop and arrest terrorists without issueing tons of warnings, it seems like a much better way to deal with it.

Unless of course you have other reasons to issue the warnings.

Thats what i meant when i was discussing with Avon about the intelligence agencies operating without giving it massive media coverage.....in the UK it tends to be very quiet until there is an arrest, with a few exceptions.

Connect the dots:

Quote[/b] ]Suspect in U.K. May Have Done Surveillance

10 minutes ago  

By BETH GARDINER, Associated Press Writer

LONDON - An alleged key al-Qaida operative suspected of authoring surveillance documents that sparked terror alerts in the United States was among 13 terror suspects arrested in Britain, an official said.

The documents of surveillance of five U.S. financial institutions were found on the computers of two accused members of Osama bin Laden (news - web sites)'s terror network arrested in Pakistan last month. Pakistani intelligence officials told The Associated Press the computers also held images of London's Heathrow, Airport and that this information was passed to British officials.

The revelations draw a link between two major sweeps against suspected al-Qaida networks in Pakistan and Britain — as well as the alerts announced Sunday in New York, New Jersey and Washington.

At least 20 people have been detained in Pakistan in the past month, and Britain is holding 12 men from raids on Tuesday after releasing one person. British police on Thursday announced the arrest of another man, wanted in the United States for allegedly helping finance terrorist activity.

Among the 12 held in Britain was a senior al-Qaida member, known as Abu Eisa al-Hindi or Abu Musa al-Hindi, who the official said is suspected of having written the surveillance reports detailing security, construction and other features of the five U.S. financial buildings.

...................................

And on the subject of the public warnings as a whole and the slew of conspiration theories about intentional false warnings:

Quote[/b] ]Wag The Pundits

If the subject weren't so serious, we'd chalk it all up to the August news doldrums. The Bush Administration makes some breakthrough anti-terror arrests and promptly shares some of its new information with the public.

For its trouble, it then finds itself subject to handwringing "news analyses" wondering whether the timing was politically motivated and editorials lecturing on the temperature of terror warnings as if we were talking about Goldilocks's porridge.

Please. At Manhattan's Citicorp building and in the financial district where we sit, there just isn't much debate about this at all. People are happy to have the information, even if some of the building surveillance that's been described is several years old.

Everyone knows enough about al Qaeda's modus operandi by now to understand that the group plans years in advance and doesn't easily give up on targets. They also understand that the same people nitpicking now would be the first to point the finger if there was an attack and such information had been withheld.

The key player here appears to be an al Qaeda communications officer and terror planner named Mohammed Naeem Noor Khan, who was arrested three weeks ago in Pakistan. On his computer, authorities discovered documents and photographs indicating extensive surveillance of buildings in New York, New Jersey and Washington, D.C. Also arrested in Pakistan last month was Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani, wanted by the U.S. for his role in the 1998 African embassy bombings--an attack that was five years in the planning.

Information from Mr. Khan apparently also pointed to targets in Britain, including Heathrow Airport. That led to the arrest in and around London this week of 12 more suspects, including an alleged senior al Qaeda figure named Abu Musa al Hindi. U.S. officials described the arrests as "part of this web that emanates from Pakistan" and suggested that other operations based on the Khan information were still ongoing.

Meanwhile, after an apparently unrelated sting operation, the FBI announced the arrest yesterday of two Muslim men in Albany on charges of money laundering and conspiracy in connection with a plot to kill the Pakistani ambassador in New York. The two were reported to be affiliated with the al Qaeda-linked terror group Ansar al Islam.

It would be foolish to suggest that these important arrests have neutralized the al Qaeda threat. But they will surely prove disruptive to the group's operations world-wide. Other cells will not know to what extent their own activities may have been compromised. These arrests are also another empirical nail in the coffin of the theory that Iraq has been a big distraction from the broader war on terror.

And what about all those allies we've supposedly alienated? They seem quite happy to help the U.S., thank you, if only for their own self-interest. Just this week Pakistani Prime Minister designate Shaukat Aziz escaped an assassination attempt, and the Musharraf government seems more committed to the war on terror than ever. Somehow we doubt they need to be ordered to round up terror suspects on a U.S. political schedule, as one Washington political magazine recently theorized.

Joe Lieberman has, as usual, been warning the Democrats away from the fever swamps here, saying nobody "in their right mind" would believe that President Bush would "scare people for political reasons." And John Kerry has at least been smart enough to stay above the fray. But the Democratic contender would probably be wise to actively rein in the likes of Howard Dean, who was still rambling conspiratorially as of Wednesday night.

Speculation about the timing of arrests and the motives for terror warnings doesn't do anything to reassure voters that the Democratic Party is serious about protecting them. We're pretty sure most Americans see the latest blows to al Qaeda as unalloyed good news, even if some of the credit has to go to the Bush Administration.

[theavonlady 2]

Other relevant news items:

Quote[/b] ]Saudis Arrest Most-Wanted Terror Suspect

1 hour, 20 minutes ago  

By NADIA ABOU EL-MAGD, Associated Press Writer

CAIRO, Egypt - Saudi police arrested a top Saudi terror suspect, officials said Friday, weeks after the cleric reassured followers he was "taking all necessary precautions" to evade a government sweep.

Faris Ahmed Jamaan al-Showeel al-Zahrani was No. 12 on the kingdom's list of 26 most-wanted terror suspects. All those ahead of him, and several others on the list, have been either killed or captured in a crackdown that followed a series of bombings in Riyadh in May, 2003.

Police captured al-Zahrani and a second suspect on Thursday night, an unidentified Interior Ministry official told the Saudi Press Agency. The second suspect's name was not released.

The official described al-Zahrani as "a preacher of denouncing people as infidels." Islamic militants often label their enemies as infidels before they attack them. Al-Zahrani and the second suspect were detained "swiftly and efficiently," and were not able to use the weapons they were carrying, the official said.

"The Interior Ministry wishes to emphasize to all people that the security forces are determined to pursue the terrorists, get them out of their holes, and apply God's law to them," the official added.

Four weeks ago, al-Zahrani posted an Internet message saying he was evading the Saudi crackdown.

"I would like to reassure the people who love me," he wrote on the Voice of Jihad site. "I am careful in my movements and contacts, and I take all necessary precautions."

In the same statement, al-Zahrani rejected a limited amnesty that King Fahd offered militants in June. Under the amnesty, which ended in late July, suspected terrorists who surrendered were spared the death penalty. It netted no major suspects.

The liberal Arabic-language Web site www.elaph.com described al-Zahrani as "one of the most prominent theorists for terrorist cells in Saudi Arabia." It said he is 30 years old and has a master's degree in Islamic Law from a Saudi Arabian university.

In an indication of al-Zahrani's importance, sympathetic messages began appearing on Islamic Web sites expressing regret and asking God to give him strength.

"God strengthen Faris al-Zahrani's heart. Make him calm and support him," said a site contributor writing under the name "Ishraqet Amal" or Dawn of Hope. "As he championed righteousness and waged holy war for your sake, God, support him and don't let the infidels get to him (psychologically)."

A contributor who used the name Abu Asli said of the arrest: "I pray to God that this news is false."

The pan-Arab TV channel Al-Arabiya had reported late Thursday that al-Zahrani was detained in Abha, a town 500 miles southwest of Riyadh.

An oldie but a goodie. It would be nice to get to the bottom of this:

Quote[/b] ]Feds Arrest Man in 2001 Anthrax Probe

42 minutes ago

By BEN DOBBIN, Associated Press Writer

WELLSVILLE, N.Y. - Federal agents investigating the deadly 2001 anthrax attacks searched homes Thursday belonging to the founder of an organization that trains medical professionals to respond to chemical and biological attacks. He was later arrested in an altercation with family members at a motel, police said.

More than three dozen agents, some in protective suits, combed through two homes in this upstate New York village at the same time as a similar search occurred in New Jersey.

Authorities provided few specifics about the investigation, other than to say that FBI (news - web sites) and U.S. Postal Inspection Service agents were searching multiple locations in Wellsville and Dover Township, N.J., as part of the anthrax probe.

The searches raised the prospect that authorities may be closer to a break in a case that has baffled investigators nearly three years. Five people were killed and 17 sickened in the anthrax attacks, further rattling a nation already on edge after Sept. 11.

....................................

[Pathy 0]

See Avon, when they arrested that guy they could have announced lots of warnings about the heathrow attack, instead the SIS decided to take a risk and set up a sting operation instead, and it payed off, bagging a top AQ chief.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2-1204764,00.html

I was merely suprised that the US announced a warning rather than tried a similar thing. But i do believe that it was a justified warning....(i get the impression you may have bagged me with the people who thought it was a vote winning conspiracy or some shit....i never said as such)

[billybob2002 0]

http://www.drudgereport.com/flash8.htm

Quote[/b] ]

TIME MAG DETAILS EVIDENCE OF POSSIBLE AL-QAEDA ATTACK ON U.S. ‘This is looking more real every day,’ says senior intelligence official

Sun Aug 08 2004 09:59:10 ET

FBI official warned a congressional leader he and others could be targeted in Washington and on trips around U.S.

New York – An FBI official warned a congressional leader that he and other top legislative officials could be targeted by al-Qaeda in Washington or on their trips around the country, TIME has learned. The warning came two days before Ridge issued his nationwide alert.

TIME reveals exclusive new detail of al-Qaeda attack plans, in the cover story/special report “Al-Qaeda in America. Inside the Terrorist Group’s Plot to Attack the U.S. Can We Get to Them Before They Strike?†(on newsstands Monday, Aug. 9).

Assessing the accumulation of evidence of a possible attack inside the U.S., a senior intelligence official tells TIME, “This is looking more like the real deal every day.†TIME also learns that Osama bin Laden may already have ordered up another attack: a top homeland security official tells TIME “We have a number of times picked up information that al-Qaeda wants to attack us before the election, and some of the communications attribute that desire to Osama bin Laden.â€

Though surveillance for the al-Qaeda attack plans seized July 24 was mostly done in 2000 and 2001, “there remains plenty of cause for concern,†according to TIME. A surveillance report notes windows behind the six columns in front of the New York Stock Exchange building make it appear “a little fragile.†Operatives specifically discuss using “usual methods†such as a heavy gas truck or oil tanker to attack facilities. Surveillance of helicopter ports and cockpits in New York City suggest al-Qaeda has investigated using them for an airborne attack.

A U.S. law-enforcement official told TIME that a recent Pakistani intelligence report made available to senior U.S. intelligence and security officials offers details of alleged al-Qaeda plans to use speedboats and divers for attacks in New York harbor before the November 2004 elections.

TIME has learned that one seized disc contains an updated photo of the Prudential Building in Newark, New Jersey that was added in January of this year. Operatives noted it might be difficult to drive a truck or van into the Prudential’s underground parking garage. So they proposed acquiring a black limo, gutting all but the front seat and presumably filling the empty portion with explosives, TIME reports. They also discussed using an oil truck to ram through the front entrance. Information on New Jersey Transit passenger rail systems and PATH train timetables suggested al-Qaeda may have been exploring ways to escape after pulling off the attack, TIME reports.

A senior U.S. intelligence official tells TIME that the three laptop computers and 51 discs seized in a July 24 raid in Pakistan represent an unprecedented “treasure trove†of information about al-Qaeda’s determination to pull off more acts of catastrophe on U.S. soil. “The discs revealed far more detailed, wide-ranging and current research†than has been made public, a source tells TIME. A senior law-enforcement force tells TIME the FBI is pursuing information from computer files that may lead to al-Qaeda members in the U.S. Perhaps a half-dozen individuals are believed to have been in contact with at least one of three men apprehended in Pakistan.

Developing...

[walker 0]

Hi all

It appears that some of the fears raised by Pathy and others in relation to TBA warnings in the US letting the cat out of the bag have come to pass.

Quote[/b] ]Leak allowed al-Qaeda suspects to escape

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP)

The disclosure to reporters of the arrest of an al-Qaeda computer expert allowed several wanted suspects from Osama bin Laden's terror network to escape, government and security officials said Tuesday.

Muhammad Naeem Noor Khan, a 25-year-old Pakistani computer engineer, was nabbed in a July 13 raid in the eastern city of Lahore. He then led Pakistani authorities to a key al-Qaeda figure and cooperated secretly by sending e-mails to terrorists so investigators could trace their locations.

His arrest was first reported in American newspapers on Aug. 2 after it was disclosed to reporters by U.S. officials in Washington. Later, the Pakistan government also confirmed his capture but gave no other details.

Two senior Pakistani officials said the reports in "Western media" enabled other al-Qaeda suspects to get away.

"Let me say that this intelligence leak jeopardized our plan and some al-Qaeda suspects ran away," one of the officials said on condition of anonymity.

National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice acknowledged Sunday that Khan's name had been disclosed to reporters in Washington "on background," meaning that it could be published, but the information could not be attributed by name to the official who had revealed it.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2004-08-10-pakistan-intel_x.htm

Yet other reports say an operative who was part of the sting to catch the Al Qaida suspects had his cover blown by the US warnings.

Many are noticing the Wolf Crying tendancy of TBA and decerning a pattern.

Quote[/b] ]Playing politics on homeland security

With the third anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks around the corner, President Bush needs to take national security seriously not use it for his gain.

The country is already on edge over the possibility of election-year terrorist attacks, so it's jarring to see that the Bush administration is playing politics with post-Sept. 11 intelligence. Yet again.

That's the only way to look at the president's response to the Sept. 11 commission report and the breathless "new" al-Qaeda warning issued over the weekend by Homeland Security director Tom Ridge.

http://www.denverpost.com/Stories....=filter

The real problem with boy who cries wolf is that when the real wolf comes nobody believes them.

Already US citizens are used to the continuous reports from Tom Ridge to such an extent it is becomming a national joke with Tom Ridge Described as the Minister of Fear.

http://www.markfiore.com/animation/fear.html

The real problem is not a joke though as was found in the UK it is better to hunt down terrorists quietly turning them in to the ones who fear a tap on the shoulder.

Continuous public alerts just play in to the terrorists hands turning the nation in to a terrorised, fearful, paranoid group willing to give up their freedom which is exactly what Al Qaida want. That is why terrorists like to hoax. Then when the real attack comes peoploe are not so alert.

Kind Regards Walker

[billybob2002 0]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tm...._cia_14

Quote[/b] ]

Rep. Goss Nominated to Lead Embattled CIA

1 hour, 48 minutes ago  Add Top Stories - AP to My Yahoo!

By TERENCE HUNT, AP White House Correspondent

WASHINGTON - President Bush (news - web sites) on Tuesday nominated Rep. Porter Goss (news, bio, voting record) of Florida to head the CIA (news - web sites) amid terror and tumult, saying the former undercover operative "knows the CIA inside and out" and can bolster its spy network.

"He is well prepared for this mission," the president said of Goss, chairman of the House intelligence committee who was an Army intelligence operative before joining the CIA the 1960s. "He's the right man to lead and support the agency at this critical moment in our nation's history."

Goss, whose nomination must be confirmed by the Senate, had been mentioned prominently in speculation about a successor to departed CIA Director George Tenet, who left amid a torrent of criticism of the agency's handling of prewar intelligence on Iraq (news - web sites).

Bush still has a major decision ahead of him. He has embraced a cornerstone recommendation by the commission investigating the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks: creation of a new intelligence czar to oversee the activities of the CIA and more than a dozen other intelligence agencies. Bush has not named the czar.

"I think every American knows the importance of getting the best possible intelligence we can get to our decision-makers," Goss, 65, said during the Rose Garden announcement.

If the president names an intelligence czar, his CIA chief would lose some power in the reshuffling and essentially would be required to report to the new head of all intelligence operations.

Neither Bush nor Goss discussed the new organization, and the CIA had no comment Tuesday on Bush's appointment. The president said Goss will advise him on how to implement the Sept. 11 panel's recommendations.

Both men stressed that Goss' experience as an undercover CIA officer would help the agency bolster its ability to use spies, instead of just technology, to infiltrate terrorist networks. "The essence of our intelligence capability is people," the Florida Republican said.

Said Bush: "To stop them from killing our citizens, we must have the best intelligence possible."

Tenet's last day was July 11, and the much-criticized agency since then has been under the leadership of acting Director John McLaughlin.

The administration was believed to have debated internally whether to choose a permanent successor to Tenet before the fall elections, thus putting itself in the position of having to defend its choice in confirmation hearings held in a politically charged atmosphere.

Bush said he expected that Goss would garner support "on both sides of the aisle" at the Capitol during the confirmation process.

"He's a fine man and the fact that he's a Republican congressman doesn't bother me," said Sen. Charles Schumer (news, bio, voting record), D-N.Y. "I would find it very hard to support any nominee who did not endorse the 9/11 commission recommendations on intelligence... The focal point of this nomination is not who he is, but these recommendations."

Sen. Mike DeWine (news, bio, voting record), R-Ohio, a member of the Intelligence Committee, said Goss has the credentials to be the overall intelligence czar, if Congress creates that position. "He could be this new person, if we go there," DeWine said. He described Goss and tough and pragmatic and said, "He'll be someone who can walk into the president and look him into the eye and tell him what the truth is and not flinch."

Goss would take over the agency at a pivotal moment.

Leaders of various intelligence agencies worry about a series of high-profile events this summer that could become attractive terrorist targets. It is widely believed that al-Qaida and its allies might try to strike the United States in a way that replicates the political and economic impact of March's train bombings in Madrid, Spain.

The Connecticut-born Goss graduated from Yale in 1960 and launched a clandestine career, working for Army intelligence for two years and eventually the CIA's most well-known division, the Directorate of Operations.

When he got into politics, Goss had to get special permission to reveal that he was associated with "the agency" for roughly a decade, reportedly in Europe and Latin America. Goss still doesn't discuss classified details of his work, although he has said he was deployed in Miami during the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis.

"I had some very interesting moments in the Florida Straits," Goss told The Washington Post in 2002.

In the early 1970s, an almost deadly staph infection forced him to retire to Sanibel, Fla., where retired CIA officers who had made the coastal community their home had convinced him to come for recovery. Each day, he tried to walk to the ocean as part of his rehabilitation.

Gradually, he stepped into local politics and ran for the House in 1988.

Goss has served in Congress for 16 years, including eight years as House Intelligence chairman. He planned on making his 2000 election bid his last, but decided to stay on after the Sept. 11 attacks — with encouragement from Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney (news - web sites). The opportunity was sweetened when Republicans waived a rule limiting his chairmanship to six years.

[Pathy 0]

Hi all

It appears that some of the fears raised by Pathy and others in relation to TBA warnings in the US letting the cat out of the bag have come to pass.

Leak allowed al-Qaeda suspects to escape

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP)

The disclosure to reporters of the arrest of an al-Qaeda computer expert allowed several wanted suspects from Osama bin Laden's terror network to escape, government and security officials said Tuesday.

Muhammad Naeem Noor Khan, a 25-year-old Pakistani computer engineer, was nabbed in a July 13 raid in the eastern city of Lahore. He then led Pakistani authorities to a key al-Qaeda figure and cooperated secretly by sending e-mails to terrorists so investigators could trace their locations.

His arrest was first reported in American newspapers on Aug. 2 after it was disclosed to reporters by U.S. officials in Washington. Later, the Pakistan government also confirmed his capture but gave no other details.

Two senior Pakistani officials said the reports in "Western media" enabled other al-Qaeda suspects to get away.

"Let me say that this intelligence leak jeopardized our plan and some al-Qaeda suspects ran away," one of the officials said on condition of anonymity.

Damn i should become an intellegence cheif. Hell, ive watched a few TV programs on the buisness, i'm more than qualified

[denoir 0]

Found this quite humorous:

Moore embarrasses new CIA chief [bBC]

Quote[/b] ]

US Congressman Porter Goss, nominated to be the new director of the CIA, may be talking himself out of the job, according to film-maker Michael Moore.

Moore, who directed the film Fahrenheit 9/11, has released an interview with Mr Goss in which he says he lacks the qualifications for the top spy post.

"I couldn't get a job with CIA today. I am not qualified," Mr Goss told Moore's production company in March.

The White House has dismissed the interview as "ridiculous hearsay".

The interview did not make it into the final edit of the film, which criticises President George W Bush's policy on Iraq. But following Mr Goss's nomination by the president, Moore has released the transcript and video excerpt on his website.

"I don't have the language skills. I, you know, my language skills were romance languages and stuff. We're looking for Arabists today. I don't have the cultural background probably," Mr Goss says on the video.

"And I certainly don't have the technical skills, as my children remind me every day: 'Dad, you got to get better on your computer.'

"So, the things that you need to have, I don't have."

Bush's choice

Mr Goss, 65, is a former officer with US army intelligence and the CIA.  He represents a Florida district and has served in Congress since 1989. Announcing the appointment on Tuesday, Mr Bush said Mr Goss was the "right man" to head the agency.

"Porter Goss is a leader with strong experience in intelligence and in fighting against terrorism," he said.

Mr Goss is due to replace former director George Tenet, who stood down, citing personal reasons, before the commission investigating the 11 September 2001 attacks issued its report. The bi-partisan panel blamed intelligence bodies, including the CIA, for failing to predict or avert the hijackings.

Video segment of the interview

[Pathy 0]

At least Bush is appointing someone with a background in Intel What more can you expect from him?