Taking al Qaeda at it Own Word: Al-Qaeda planning February attack

The Toronto Free Press ^ | January 5, 2003 | John Thompson

[quidnunc]

The classic sci-fi author Robert Heinlein once observed that stupidity is a capital offence with its own specific punishments. If you don’t believe him, check out the Darwin Awards web-site — there is no shortage of stupid people who get what is coming to them.

The real tragedy is when stupid people affect others around them. Right now, there are huge numbers of people with some very stupid observations about al Qaeda. Editorial letters and callers on talk shows accuse the U.S. of paranoia, of using sham threats to create a new police state or a new empire, or smugly observe that the U.S. is responsible for its own woes.

Make no mistake about it: al Qaeda is a deadly serious threat and if you don’t believe me, take them at their word.

There are websites (subject to constant changes of address) where al Qaeda’s supporters post messages, and there are the leaked tapes and videos from its leaders. Usually, just before a major attack, non-specific threats get posted to cue members and supporters that something big is coming. Recent excerpts in the last couple of months include such gems as these:

"the message we send to the americans and to bush and blair, dont be very happy, we promise you that bouth of you will cry tears very soon and then just then you will know who Al-Qaida really is!!."

"To all the crusaders, we have warned you alot of times to get out from our muslim lands and stop funding the jewish state but you dont listen and you will never listen. words are soon going to have a big sound that every one will hear. but then it will be too late for you to run out of fear. we gave you time and time but now your time is near."

"Sowrds [sic] of islam will strike the head of the big snake and cut it as we have cut its tale and slapt the rest of its body and then the world will watch and say (how could a big and great empire like this fall on its knees with out a breath?) and we say what god says in his holy book the Quran (how many times has a small bunch of people been able to win a big and huge army with the word of god!!)"

"This is the last call for Muslims in New York, the east side and Los Angeles to start leaving. The mojahideen are now ready to teach the US a lesson it will never forget."

"The war has just started and you will remember the word just started! And the coming will be bigger than everything before it; we will strike the Americans and the British in unexpected places at unexpected timings. And we promise all Muslims that victory is becoming very very close so pray for your mojahideen brothers in this holey days for they are currying on their shoulders the worries of our Islamic Omma [nation] to free it from the crusaders in every single part of our land."

"They [Americans] should prepare … their coffins, hospitals and graves. The coming days will be full of surprises and great events which will make them a historic example."

[Hugin]

Similar messages were posted or intercepted before almost every major al Qaeda attack.

And after, and in between. In fact they are constantly posting messages like this. So naturally if they do manage to pull off an attack, there will have been one posted shortly before hand.

Bring it on.

[mikegi]

Ambitious? Yes, but so is the site www.muhajiroun.com, the present Internet home of a British organization, which openly declares its intention to work to reestablish the Caliphate--the single political, religious, and military leader who will rule the Islamic world as the successor of the Prophet Muhammad--"in order that Islam dominates the World (Izhaar ud-Deen) and becomes the World order." Al-Muhajiroun is run by the flamboyant Sheikh Omar Bakri; who gained international attention for advertising a conference to celebrate "the Magnificent 19" (the hijackers of 9/11). The conference was spoiled by all the advance publicity it ended up receiving, but Bakri has never retracted his stated goal: "I want to see the black flag of Islam flying over Downing Street."

How old is this "flamboyant Sheikh Omar Bakri"? I bet he hasn't been taking good care of himself. It would just awful if this guy were to have a sudden heart attack...

[diamondjoe]

There's a furniture place near my house in Portland (OR) that has been having a "final liquidation sale!" for the past four years.

[international american]

""They [Americans] should prepare … their coffins, hospitals and graves. The coming days will be full of surprises and great events which will make them a historic example."

We will kill most of them, and the rest will be relegated to the ash heap of history.

[Veritas_est]

"Wake me up when they remember how to wire a bomb"
"Yawn."
"This reminds me of those perpetual "GOING OUT OF BUSINESS" signs"
". . . they're still trying to crash planes into cities, for God's sake!"
"All they do is threat...."
"Bring it on."
". . . that has been having a "final liquidation sale!" for the past four years."

Folks, I am not an alarmist. However, this sounds like it is right out of the Al Qaeda handbook. This is one of the tools of terrorism.
(1) Terrorize
(2) Make complacent with endless threats.
(3) Terrorize
(4) Complacent . . .
Etc. ad nauseam.

Don't bet your New York condo that they will try to fly an airplane into a building.

I hope it won't take a nuclear explosion to convince America that we are vulnerable to small yield WMDs. One small dirty nuclear devise set off southwest of NYC and we will have 9-11 X 100 + months of distress beyond anything most of you can imagine.

If your enemy tells you he is planning an attack . . . only a fool would do nothing.

I say bring on the PROFILING . . . . YESTERDAY!

[jerseygirl]

I say we go to lockdown.