Al Qaeda again threatens New York, Washington and Los Angeles

A new message was posted in the last few hours by the Jeddah-based al-Qaeda-linked Al-Islah (Reform) society calling on Muslims to flee New York, Washington and Los Angeles in advance of major al Qaeda attacks in those cities. This is revealed by DEBKAfile.

The message accuses the United States of predetermining its end (doom) by its policies. ?The Jews rule the Pentagon by remote control and (are the cause) of Muslims being killed in every corner of the world. The United States should therefore expect more blows.?

The message is signed on behalf of the al Bayan (The Threat) movement by ?your warrior brother, Abul Hassan al Khadrami?.

Our Muslim expert identifies the name of the signatory as belonging to a Yemeni from Hadhrameuth, the Bin Ladens? place of origin where Osama enjoys substantial tribal support.

DEBKAfile?s counter-terror sources stress that warnings appearing on these forums are taken both very seriously and with caution by the intelligence services keeping track of the terrorist network?s electronic traffic.

Last November, Jeddah-based fundamentalist forums addressed a message to an Al Qaeda member, saying whoever understands ? understands; whoever knows, knows, but we are marching towards an operation that will take us to Paradise. Three days later, the Mombasa Paradise hotel was blown up killing 12 Kenyans and 3 Israelis and a failed shoulder-launched Strela anti-air missile missed an Israeli airliner at Mombasa airport.

It's feels like we're dealing with more than one terrorist organization. And that's new.

AQ was the coordinating organization - and they brought misery on all terrorist member groups. I suspect many are not happy and might be in open rebellion. That might account for the strange and impotent unending warnings. Have they lost their way? My guess is the "big bad ones" have limited time to prove viability. And this might be a dangerous time because of that. Inter-terrorist fighting works in our favor in the long run, but in the short run the instability could get dicey. Anyhow, those are my thoughts...

Instead of one big simultaneous attack, could they be planning a string of single target attacks? I would think that would be much harder to pull off. After one successful attack, the country would go into red alert and many things (roads, bridges, dams, airports, trains) would be locked down tight.

Thoughts?

http://www.usdoj.gov/opa/pr/2004/January/04_crm_033.htm

EDNESDAY, JANUARY 21, 2004
WWW.USDOJ.GOV

CRM
(202) 514-2008
TDD (202) 514-1888

MINNEAPOLIS MAN CHARGED WITH CONSPIRING TO PROVIDE
MATERIAL SUPPORT TO AL QAEDA

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Attorney General John Ashcroft, Assistant Attorney General Christopher A. Wray of the Criminal Division, and U.S. Attorney Tom Heffelfinger of the District of Minnesota announced today that Mohammed Abdullah Warsame has been charged with conspiring to provide material support to al Qaeda, a designated foreign terrorist organization.

Warsame, 30, of Minneapolis, was charged in a criminal indictment returned Jan. 20, 2004 by a federal grand jury in Minneapolis. The indictment was unsealed today following Warsame’s arrest and initial appearance in U.S. District Court in the Southern District of New York. Warsame was ordered held without bond, pending his return to Minneapolis.

“The indictment of Warsame demonstrates this nation’s iron resolve to detect, disrupt and dismantle the networks of terror,” said Attorney General John Ashcroft. “The charge against Warsame is a grim reminder that al Qaeda, aided by agents and cells in this country, continues its shadowy efforts to destroy the lives and freedoms of the people of the United States.”

“This case is a stark reminder that the threat from terrorists and those who help them exists across the country, not just in New York City and Washington, D.C., but also in places like Buffalo, Tampa, Portland, San Diego, and now, Minnesota,” added Assistant Attorney General Christopher A. Wray. “Our efforts to cut off the rings of terrorist support will continue with vigor, here in the United States and abroad.”

U.S. Attorney Tom Heffelfinger stated, “This indictment shows that the war on terrorism is not over and that everywhere in the United States, even Minnesota and the rest of the nation’s great Heartland, are subject to the threat of terrorist activity.” Heffelfinger also praised the investigative work of the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force in Minneapolis. “The Minneapolis JTTF has been in operation since early 2000. The State of Minnesota and the nation are safer due to the hard work and experience of these dedicated investigators. Our best defense against terrorism is law enforcement cooperation, coordination and communication such as that demonstrated in this case by the JTTF members,” he stated.

The indictment alleges that from March 2000 and continuing through Dec. 8, 2003, Warsame conspired to provide material support and resources to al Qaeda, a designated foreign terrorist organization. Al Qaeda was designated as a foreign terrorist organization by the U.S. Secretary of State on Oct. 8, 1999 and redesignated on Oct. 5, 2001.

If convicted, Warsame faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison and/or a $250,000 fine. Any sentence would be determined by a judge based on the federal sentencing guidelines.

The case is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation Joint Terrorism Task Force. The FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF) is a multi-agency effort combining the resources of federal, state, and local law enforcement. In addition to the FBI, the investigation was conducted with the assistance of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (BICE), the U.S. Marshals Service, the Minneapolis Police Department, the St. Paul Police Department, the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office, and the Minnesota Department of Public Safety. In addition to those agencies, the JTTF in Minneapolis includes representatives of the Minnesota Department of Homeland Security; the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office; the U.S. Secret Service; the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the Minneapolis/St. Paul Airport Police; the Transportation Safety Administration; the Federal Air Marshals; the Bloomington Police Department; the U.S. Department of Agriculture; and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Mike Ward, with assistance from the Counterterrorism Section of the Department of Justice in Washington, D.C.

Criminal indictments are only charges and not evidence of guilt. A defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty.

###

04-033

" Frankly I'd think it would be difficult for them to acquire and then to hide enough nukes from radiation monitors etc to deliver a crippling blow to the US..."

OBL has/had the $$$ to acquire nukes, no doubt about that. The radiation monitors are in our cities and harbours but I don't think they aren't in international waters (isn't that about 200 miles out?), and it also would be very very difficult to cover USA waters (the 200 miles from shore to international line) totally with radiation monitors. I hope( and suspect) the satellites are scrutinizing all the international waters and not just shipping lanes for the OBL ocean freighters and tugs. Recall that TWA flight that was shot down after take off from NY...there were plenty of folks who saw the missle go up from the area around the Hamptons...but they couldn't verify whether it went from land or a big boat.

Another point is the mentality we are dealing with in this war would be prone to wait until after the 4th or the 22nd or what ever date before really setting a date for attack...they would have the cunning mindset to diffuse our expectations and worries with our assumption that it was all talk and phoney boloney...and they would wait until our guard was down. The first WTC attack was '93, the 2nd 2001. The 3rd might be years down the road (or it might be very soon.)

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