Terrorist threats to destroy US city posted on internet

UK Herald ^ | Jan. 15, 2004 | IAN BRUCE

[FairOpinion]

US and British intelligence services are investigating a series of alleged al Qaeda internet warnings predicting a terror attack which would "destroy an entire American city".

The messages, posted on a number of Islamic websites over the last week, say the countdown to attack has already begun.

They claimed it would be "an even stronger strike than nuclear weapons".

They also warn that unless the US and its allies withdraw immediately from Iraq, Afghanistan, and all other Muslim countries, the terror network has ordered the elimination of American leaders and their supporters. The post of most concern to Western intelligence has appeared three times in three days on a radical Islamic internet forum called the Mujahideen Network.

It claimed to be "from the Islamic nation to the American people" and boasted that its forces now had the ability to wipe out an entire city.

A security source said last night: "There is no way of determining whether these warnings are genuine or wishful thinking on the part of extremists. "But there are disturbing parallels with the background threat-level chatter which preceded the September 11 attacks in 2001."

The investigation came as the UN said almost 100 countries should be "named and shamed" for failing to enforce international sanctions against known members of al Qaeda and its Taliban allies and to block the flow of money and arms to the groups.

[verity]

They claimed it would be "an even stronger strike than nuclear weapons".

Global warming! ;~)

[freeangel]

Thank you, I did miss this thread.

[Poohbah]

It would take 10 Fuel Tankers full of some cyanide like material to kill a city, on a calm day, low wind, no rain, and everyone standing in the street waiting for it to happen.

You're underestimating how many truckloads you'd need by several orders of magnitude--hydrogen cyanide is a remarkably ineffective chemical agent, as the French discovered in World War I. If anyone breathes it, it's fatal, but it's significantly lighter than air, so lethal concentrations simply float up into the sky, never to be heard from again.

[Publius6961]

The investigation came as the UN said almost 100 countries should be "named and shamed" for failing to enforce international sanctions against known members of al Qaeda and its Taliban allies and to block the flow of money and arms to the groups.

That many targets, huh? Starting at 5:52 am on Sept 11, 2001, I knew that we were from then on faced with one of two choices: play the PC game and continue to allow muslims into this country, or be faced with retaliating against them after continued acts of barbarism, forever.

To me, the choice is a no-brainer in terms of reduced casualties on both sides. The ignorant, the emotional and the wishful thinkers had a better idea...

[Publius6961]

I find it utterly fascinating how brash and arrogant and condescending you are on THIS thread.

LOL!
Enough to get sucked into a response? I have managed to avoid that, and simply laugh at this maiden-aunt personality tutt-tutting and strutting her ignorance. She believes she's deep; She believes she's wise, tolerant. Why is it that those who know the least, say it the loudest?

[Tolerance Sucks Rocks]

Al-Just al-Damn!

[Domestic Church]

They might be referring to anthrax which doesn't decay like the radioactive isotopes or a biowarfare attack as it was posted awhile back that al quada might have purchased ebola.

I suspect it is nuclear though and it might be a big weapon purchased through the Russian black market or directly from North Korea or China.

[Domestic Church]

"...crazy Islamikazis are trying to start World War III ..."

They are determined to at least do that.

[Travis McGee]

Is he a she?

[Domestic Church]

"They only way they can take a city out is with a genuine nuke. Look to the Russians."

Yep...and look to the Chinese and the North Koreans.

Might a communist regime (even one currently blanketed with capitalism in sectors) be ready and willing to use al quada to further their own agenda...of course.

[Quix]

THANKS INDEED.

[Quix]

I suspect Scuba Teddy K would assert that those were torpedos to hunt whales in the Iraqi desert with!

[NYDave]

<<"are they implying a nuclear WMD? in the 1960's U-2 carried air sampling equipment to "sniff out" the various metals used in detonations ... even high in the atmosphere">>

Just FYI, Air America did the same thing in SE Asia. I went to college with a guy who flew for Air America and taking pod samples of air over bomb sites was one of his jobs. This was in the late 50's and early 60's. We both began our college days in '62 so his spook job preceded that time (my brother in law was a chopper pilot ferrying the South Vietanmese troops into battle back in the 50's).

[Marine Inspector]

Agreed.

[RaceBannon]

I might be wrong on the amounts, but not the intended point: While Soldiers died by the hundreds by gassing, they were concentrated in one area, they were attacked by hundreds of shells, and had a climate condition that was favorable to the weapon dispersal.

A City is not. It would take about 300 to 400 Pounds of Hydrogen cyanide to poisona building and kill everyone inside it, (Skyscraper like WTC or similar) just using a charcoal briquette bag wont do it. (But that would kill over a hundred!)

[Poohbah]

The French used hydrogen cyanide because it was unquestionably lethal.

Unfortunately, HCN is so light that it just floats from the dispersal point, instead of staying low and getting into people's lungs.

[Bobby777]

hehe ... you know, I think that was part of Hitler's methods ... he gave those guys uniforms that made them feel important ... amazingly enough to not consider what they were a part of ... of course, I think many of them were predisposed it seems ...

[Bobby777]

yes, but I think it has not reached the level it very well could ... that's what I mean ...

[Bobby777]

yeah I don't know for sure but I imagine the U-2R's could do it today ... perhaps it's possible with a mass spectrometer from a satellite ... not sure ...

but of course, there aren't supposed to be any atmospheric tests anyway, so the point may be moot ... if someone sets one off, however ... well, there ya go ...

[Boot Hill]

Terrorist threats to destroy US city posted on internet

Good grief! Virtual reality has gotten so sophisticated that someone has actually posted an entire US city to the internet? Wow, now that is impressive!!!

And the real cool thing is that they would be completely immune to a DOS (denial of service) attack since the entire concept of "service" is so foreign to the bureaucrats that run cities!

--Boot Hill