I'm sure Kerry has those mean old terrorists just shaking in their turbans:
Posted on 08/07/2004 6:29:35 PM PDT by aculeus
A DROP in so-called 'chatter' among suspected terrorists is raising concern among United States counter-terrorism officials, who noticed a similar fall in intercepted communications prior to the Sept 11 terror attacks.
US government sources told CNN that security experts are still trying to fathom the reason for the troubling ebb in recent days.
While there have been several similar quiet episodes in the past, the 'chatter' continued as before even after the mid-July arrest of key Al-Qaeda suspect Mohammad Naeem Noor Khan by Pakistani security forces, which was announced last week.
The fall-off in chatter comes at a sensitive time in the war on terror. Information obtained in the Pakistani crackdown on Al-Qaeda pointed to a possible attack on US financial institutions as well as British targets.
It triggered a heightened security alert in the United States and prompted anti-terrorist sweeps in Britain, which netted over a dozen suspects.
Within the past few days, security operations in Britain and Pakistan have produced thousands of leads, particularly intelligence related to two men: Khan and Abu Eisa Al-Hindi, believed to be the man behind the network's surveillance reports on American targets. Al-Hindi was one of a dozen suspects arrested last week in Britain.
Another terror suspect detained last Thursday, Babar Ahmad, was found to have in his possession a floppy disk that contained details about a US Navy battle group from April 2001.
The plans included drawings of the battle group's formation, specific assignments of individual ships and details of each ship's vulnerability.
The information noted that the USS Constellation, which at that time was assigned to enforce sanctions against Iraq and undertake operations against Al-Qaeda and Afghanistan's Taleban government, was scheduled to pass through the narrow Strait of Hormuz on April 29, 2001.
'They have nothing to stop a small craft with RPG (rocket-propelled grenades) etc, except their Seals' stinger missiles,' said an entry in the document.
Navy officials confirmed to US prosecutors that the information, which was classified at the time, was accurate.
Ahmad, a 30-year-old college employee and a cousin of Khan, appeared in a London court on Friday. The US, which is seeking to extradite him, also accused him of being a fund-raiser for the Taleban and Muslim separatist fighters in Chechnya.
Evidence offered by US prosecutors indicated that Ahmad had ties to Chechen rebel leader Shamil Basayev, who has claimed responsibility for attacks on Russian civilians, including the 2002 Moscow theatre siege.
The US extradition request accused Ahmad of operating a series of 'pro-jihad' websites, including two that appealed to Muslims to use every possible means to undertake military and physical training for holy war. The sites also appealed for financial support and provided instructions on how to infiltrate war zones in Afghanistan and Chechnya.
The computerised data from his arrest - 500GB of data - was the result of nine search warrants and 100 subpoenas.
The US Department of Homeland Security investigators are poring over the data for clues to other Al-Qaeda suspects, plots and websites.
Copyright @ 2004 Singapore Press Holdings. All rights reserved.
There is a lot of speculation in this CNN story. Their sources said they did not know what it meant. From this CNN concludes it means an attack is near.
bump
As they said, there was a similar drop off before 9-11-01.
In some recent articles there was info/speculation that the terrorists plan to attack on Sept. 2.
The time frame would fit.
WASHINGTON -- More financial institutions than previously disclosed may be at risk of attack, and an al-Qaida operative has told British intelligence that the group's target date is early September, intelligence sources said yesterday.
The operative, described as "credible" by British intelligence, told his debriefers that the attack would take place "60 days before the presidential election" on Nov. 2, according to a former senior National Security Council official. On Sept. 2 President George W. Bush is expected to address the Republican National Convention at Madison Square Garden.
Perhaps this dropoff is the result of thinner than expected chains of command and destruction of many of them.
Gee, I wonder why there is a drop?
Could it be because every left-wing radical media whore alerted them? With the help of ignorant conservatives?
Loose Lips - Sink Ships!
And the rabble keeps babbling along ....
Maybe we caught the chatterbox?
My guess is the terrorist have been hit hard and they know it. Probably not desirable, but effective result of the last few weeks work.
I can hope can't I.
I'm sure Kerry has those mean old terrorists just shaking in their turbans:
Our intelligence says that on a typical day, an Al-Quaeda operative sends a message every 10 seconds. Our mission: find that man and stop him!
Guess we did.
My power went out at midnight last night, and my blood ran cold.
crap
When was the last time we used that slogan? Oh, yea WW2. The biggest error (my apologies to those that think this admin never makes mistakes) is that it has not treated the war on terror as a war - with war powers restrictions. In one speech the pres tells us to go traveling and shopping - the next speech he says we should be on alert and on guard.
No real sacrifice on the homefront - no restrictions on the press - no border control - no immigration control - no industry protection was was found during WW2.
When will we get real?
Variation on an old joke:
It was NO joke -- and now we are all dead - or muslim.
Is your life, your family's lives and you country's survival worth jests and give-a-f*** attitudes?
I spent years in intelligence / counter-intelligence / Special Intelligence ---- this country's media whores and complacent citizenry (not to mention certain ex-presidents and politicians) are a goldmine for the enemy intelligence services that have one goal in mind ....
THE DESTRUCTION of the UNITED STATES of AMERICA!
Gosh, no doubt someone from the left will say that the timing of this news is suspect. They have their panties tied up in a wad about the wrong things. I am upset that the vulnerability assessment of the ship was included in this report. The media itself is forcing the admin to call for an info blackout. I'd back it in the hope of saving lives.
In that dorky football tossing photo Kerry looks exactly like "StringBean" the old Hee Haw country singer from Nashville.
If I am reading your post right and you are upset with the poster that posted the joke, maybe you should just calm down.
We are Americans. We don't sit around in a panic all the time remember?
The joke was completely harmless.
Time to modify the phalanx systems to depress enough to take out small craft. BRRRRRP! and fish food!
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