Officials say al-Qaida operatives may be fully trained airline pilots

MSNBC.com ^ | 12/22/03 | NBC

[Bloody Sam Roberts]

Authorities raised the terrorist threat assessment over the weekend after new intelligence indicated that operatives of Osama bin Laden’s al-Qaida terror network, possibly trained and licensed to fly passenger jets, may now be pilots for some foreign airlines, ideally positioning them to carry out suicide attacks, U.S. officials told NBC News on Monday.

Reinforced cockpit doors intended to thwart hijackers after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks would now protect any terrorist pilot at the controls, the officials said on condition of anonymity.

Authorities would not describe the terror threats in detail publicly, but the U.S. officials told NBC’s Jim Miklaszewski that the threat alert would remain at “orange,” or high, through the end of January, which they said was an indication of its seriousness.

[NewLand]

"We interned the Japanese in WWII. I have no doubt that should we get hit hard, we will do the same to the Muslims."

Really? No doubt?

Don't get me wrong...on Sept 12 2001, I wanted to see every illegal alien expelled and/or jailed. Every Arab non-US citizen expelled. Etc.

Do we have the courage as a nation to take these measures?

[thoughtomator]

If the government does not, the people will.

[P.O.E.]

But, they could use stuff that is so hot that the area would have to be abandoned for DECADES.

You know how strict EPA etc. regulations are. I'm not trying to be sarcastic, I mean the area would be cordoned off from use & development for a long time and cost plenty.

[oceanview]

its all coming together:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1044711/posts

[dodger]

At that time, we weren't think along the line of committing suicide to deliberately kill other people.

Ahemmmmm ... a lot of us right here on FR were, indeed, thinking quite as much after Egyptair Flight 990 was downed on 31 Oct 1999, especially with the rapid Clintonista whitewash despite the many suspicious dangling threads

[azcap]

Hitting a stadium with a jet would indeed be a huge casualty producer but if you could get a crowd of 30K at a regular season game between two relative nobody teams (East Dakota Tech vs. Podunk State) with only a couple dozen cops why hassle with the heavy security and air defense of a bowl game. I'm betting that whether Homeland Security talks about it or not there are some discreet spectators with SAMs at all of those big shows.

[NewLand]

If the government does not, the people will.

Who will lead that movement? Need a leader...

[festus]

Doubt it.

My theory is the loony left can't win. We will either stamp-em-out or else we'll let them weaken our culture to the point some other external stronger culture takes us over from the outside.

At this point I'm not sure which it'll be.

[cyncooper]

I noticed the article was dated 2002, as well, but in the body of the article it says:

Mizell, who gathers data on security and terrorist incidents, says precedent for such attacks exists. He has recorded 43 cases involving 14 terrorist groups in which remote-control delivery systems were "either threatened, developed, or actually utilized." Only last year it was reported, for example, that Osama bin Laden considered using remote-control airplanes packed with explosives to kill President George W. Bush and other heads of state at the G-8 summit in Genoa, Italy.

And as his earlier link to the WH website about the summit said, it was held in July, 2001

[Beck_isright]

"its all coming together"

For once I wish we, the FR community, could be 100% wrong. Sadly, we are usually quite accurate. Sigh.

[Metternich]

Just what I was looking for. Thanks.

[thoughtomator]

Why is a leader necessary?

[Mad_Tom_Rackham]

I can easily imagine that, given another hijacking that could have been prevented by armed crew, that there would be many who would be interested in Mineta's whereabouts from that day forward.

[oceanview]

I was just referring to Pakistan being at the core of all of these little "nuclear programs" all these countries seem to have.

I still believe the chance of a terror attack in the US is less then 5%.

[CaptSkip]

Maybe this is why the news is showing SAM's being deployed close to HVT's. Maybe more MANPADS as well?

[azcap]

Which is worse; one stadium attacked with 3000-5000 dead, or 50 smaller cities having malls and Wal-Mart's attacked killing 10K plus.

 

I doubt they could get enough operatives in a enough sites to kill 10K without at least some of them blowing their cover and the operation ahead of time - BUT I think you are absolutely right on the technique and the effect. If  Al Qaeda has been weakened and the their ability to carry out complex operations compromised what easier, low cost, low training, low tech way to strike out at the economy and psyche of Americans. A half a dozen guys walk across the Mexican border carring everything they need in a backpack.  2 days later at the exact same time they open fire in three rural Wal-Mart's and three high end suburban shopping malls. They kill a only a few hundred people but bring retail commerce to a halt.

 

[ConservativeMan55]

Thank You.

[little jeremiah]

I have read more than once (here on FR, I never bother to go anywhere else) that AQ has been for some time recruiting non-Arab looking Muslims into jihadi-ism. IIRC different nationalities were mentioned such as Malaysians, Indonesians, maybe Filipinos, of course blacks, and basically non-Arabs. There are plenty of caucasian Muslims here and there.

[NewLand]

Why is a leader necessary?

If you just want a scattering of reprisals here and there, no leader needed.

If you want to wipe out the enemy, a leader is needed to define the mission, recruit members, inspire action, provide strategy, adapt to changing conditions, communicate with each other, etc.

Just like on the battlefield.

I'm not advocating anything. IMO, if you or anyone wants to see this happen, then you have to take out the enemy entirely and quickly. That requires leadership.

[oceanview]

but that kind of attack could have occurred 100 times since 9/11, but it hasn't. why?