Posted on 07/23/2004 2:25:22 AM PDT by bd476
WASHINGTON
"...Al Qaeda members captured in recent weeks in Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Afghanistan have provided important information about a possible impending terrorist attack on the scale of Sept. 11, according to senior American intelligence officials.
The interrogations of the Al Qaeda members have been a major factor in raising American concerns about a possible attack to a level not seen since Sept. 11, 2001, the intelligence officials said. They added that the captured Al Qaeda members had provided clues that traced planning for a major attack back to the group’s central leadership, including Osama bin Laden, who is believed to be in the Afghan-Pakistan border region.
‘‘We don’t have specificity to exact time, place or location,’’ a senior intelligence official said. ‘‘But it’s more than just them saying generally that there’s something coming,’’ a senior intelligence official said.
American officials have warned for the last two weeks about such an attack but have refused to describe the source of their information.
But with the release of the report by the Sept. 11 commission, the officials said they wanted to be as precise as possible about the foundation for the current concern.
‘‘I wouldn’t characterize what we have now as chatter,’’ a senior CIA official said. ‘‘I think we have some fairly specific information that Al Qaeda wants to come after us.’’
The CIA official, a counterterrorism expert, added: ‘‘This is serious.’’
One senior intelligence official said there was ‘‘no doubt’’ that bin Laden and other Qaeda leaders remained very much focused on carrying out a new attack in the United States or on American targets overseas.
Senior CIA officials described Al Qaeda’s leadership as having been very much weakened by U.S.-led actions since Sept. 11, but they would offer no prediction for when bin Laden might be captured.
‘‘We’re looking for one person here in a part of the world where not many people have gone before,’’ a senior CIA official said, apparently in an allusion to the rugged border region where bin Laden is still believed to be hiding.
Two counterterrorism officials based in Europe said that an intelligence breakthrough pointing to such a renewed threat had come about six weeks ago.
The officials suggested that the information was based both on human and technical intelligence, but they refused to be more specific. A third intelligence official said that the recent interrogations of Al Qaeda members had provided important leads.
The warnings come despite what both the commission, in its report, and three senior CIA officials, at a briefing at the agency’s headquarters, describe as major achievements since Sept. 11 in a war that has targeted Al Qaeda and its leadership.
Both the commission and the CIA officials described America as being safer today than it was on Sept. 11, but both described twin threats that remain, from remnants of Al Qaeda’s old leadership as well as from the broader, militant Muslim movement it has inspired.
‘‘You’re seeing parallel things going on,’’ said a senior CIA official involved with counterterrorism. 'Al Qaeda central is plotting, and we think they’re involved in some of the current plotting. And you also have in parallel a global movement of people, not necessarily close to or linked to Al Qaeda, but who themselves are plotting as well. So that gives you a picture of the world.' ..."
(Excerpt) Read more at iht.com ...
Wonder when the threat level goes up a notch.
Ping
Bi Laden? Ah,,,,,,,yes,,one of the "foreign leaders" J-effing-K is always babbling about, rooting for him, yeah, that's him.
What have we done to provoke another attack? Oh, I know, must be the War on Terror.
I could see it going to red...
See these 2 threads
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1172126/posts
and
Don't allow Arabs on planes anymore.
I am sad to report that I am experiencing such hatred for GWB from a lot of people that it seems they consider him worse than Osama and Saddam. It is scary how angry these people are at him. I admit, there are many many areas where he has let me down, but he is definately getting my vote. These liberals are so dangerous to our safety. I use the analogy as follows: If you know you neighbor to the left wants to kill you - do you wait for permission from your neighbor to the right to do something about it?????
Please give me some encouragement guys.
This is 'serious'.....
but,....it will NEVER be against England/Canada......because,.....
:-(
Just take notes of who you see in the hate-Bush camp. I too see so much of a hatred for Bush in Seattle. There's definitely a herd of people that are convinced that Bush knew, Bush lied, Bush is dangerous, Bush was selected not elected and so on.
Encouragement is knowing that most people do not follow the midset of Bush-haters. They are voting for Bush because their friends and family are proud of America and its role in fighting terrorism. They haven't forgotten 9-11 and never will.
The 9/11 commission should have never had Jainie Gorelick as a member. She should have been REQUIRED to testify about the "wall" that hindered the FBI, CIA and others from talking to each other.
Be encouraged, not sad. Stay away from the Bush haters. Debate with them is hopeless, as they live in a parallel universe, the one without a conscience for conservative values. They feel threatened by us; hence the anger. Don't be motivated by anger, fear or sadness. There are many of us out here who support Bush and I guess it's unfortunate that we are quietly determined and our voices aren't being heard because of the media enablers. We will be heard in November.
>>>>If you know you neighbor to the left wants to kill you - do you wait for permission from your neighbor to the right to do something about it?????
WORTH REPEATING!
Yep, that's the one.
Imagine if we hadn't done this much.
That won't happen and even if it did, given current lax security personnel, it would not insure safety.
Yes, they're probably going to continue, too.
Of course requiring her testimony would have meant she would have to tell the truth and we know how that crowd interprets oath taking.
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