Six individuals could represent as many as six cells being notified.
A coordinated operation involving up to six groups in a regional area
Each of the six phone calls could have been to a different handler... six handlers who each call six cells... etc. (Like a phone tree - Each person calls X number of people, which gets the word out fast.) I doubt the guy in Pakistan had the master list that goes directly to the operatives. There are probably a few more layers of "couriers" of info between the Pakistan guy and the operatives... which could raise the number of activated cells exponentially.
Also, Bojinka was a plan for 10 airplanes to blow up mid-air simultaneously. Sept. 11 was only four groups. But it was supposed to be more. We don't know (but LE probably does) whether there was supposed to be a mid-West wave of attacks, and a West Coast wave of attacks... And we never heard the end of the story about the MEs on a train bound for Dallas (because flights were cancelled) who had box cutters.
Bin Laden has said 9-11 was equivalent to the tip of his finger and the next attack would be equivalent to his whole finger. So, IMHO, a coordinated set of 20 or 100 or more attacks would not surprise me at all.
That is a possibility, I was trying to be conservative lacking further information.
Bin Laden has said 9-11 was equivalent to the tip of his finger and the next attack would be equivalent to his whole finger. So, IMHO, a coordinated set of 20 or 100 or more attacks would not surprise me at all.
Here I diverge from you. Although AQ's trademark is the coordinated attacks, nothing of this magnitude has even been attempted in countries where there is far less security to allow them to make sure it works. To try to coordinate 20 teams let alone 100 or more leaves a big signature and increases the possibility of detection by at least an order of magnitude. Secondly, I believe we have impaired his C3 to the point where I don't believe he could coordinate that many teams. I think there is a little 'bagdad bob' in OBL's threat.