Sometimes we give them to much credit.Terror expert: Qaida WMD attack on US likely soon
Etgar Lefkovits, THE JERUSALEM POST Nov. 29, 2004
An al-Qaida attack on the US with non-conventional weapons is virtually "inevitable," and the organization is likely "tying up the knots" for such an attack, Yossef Bodansky, former director of the US Congressional Task Force on Terrorism and Unconventional Warfare, told The Jerusalem Post on Sunday.
"All of the warnings we have today indicate that a major strike – something more horrible than anything we've seen before – is all but inevitable," he said.
Bodansky, here for the second annual Jerusalem Summit, an international gathering of conservative thinkers, added that "the primary option" for the next al-Qaida attack on US soil would be one that would use weapons of mass destruction.
"I do not have a crystal ball, but this is what all the available evidence tells us, we will have a bang," Bodansky said.
He said that al-Qaida has not carried out a second major attack on the US until now for internal psychological and ideological reasons, but after the reelection of President George W. Bush, it has gotten "the green light" to do so from leading Islamic religious luminaries, as well as from "the elites of the Arab world."
According to Bodansky's reading of Osama bin Laden's mind-set, after the elaborate attacks of 9/11 there was no need for the "bin Ladens of the world" to carry out a second major attack in the US, both because the target audience of the attacks – the Arab and Islamic world – had gotten the message that America could be penetrated, and because a second attack would necessarily have to be more grandiose.
Following the attacks and the US-led war on terror, a debate started within the operational arm of the organization over the potential use of weapons of mass destruction, Bodansky said.
If, in pre-9/11 days, the theme used by bin Laden was that perpetual confrontation and jihad against the US was the only way to protect Islam, the argument now used is the ability to punish American society, Bodansky said.
"Just as the West was challenging the quintessence of Islam by means of the globalization era, there was a parallel need by Islamic extremists to strike at – and hurt – the core of American society, this time with weapons of mass destruction," Bodansky said.
A subsequent theological debate emerged within the organization, and its supporters in the Arab world, he said, over whether the mass killing of innocents is permissible.
While bin Laden and his associates argued that by virtue of their participation in US democracy, US citizens were enabling their rulers to fight, other Islamic luminaries contended that this does not permit such massive attacks, Bodansky said. The reelection of Bush in November, he said, was viewed by bin Laden and his cohorts as a decisive answer to this deliberation, with Americans now "choosing" to be the enemies of Islam. In bin Laden's mind-set, he said, the stage was set for a non-conventional attack.
Bodansky said that while there may still be some vestiges of debate and doubt within Islamic circles, he believes that planing for such an attack is finished. "They got the kosher stamp from the Islamic world to use nuclear weapons," he said.
Moreover, Bodansky said that America is losing the war against terrorism, noting the number of recruits bin Laden is able to count on, as his call to arms gains widespread support throughout the Muslim world.
In the pre-9/11 world, Bodansky said, jihadists could count on 250,000 individuals trained and willing to die, and 2.5 million–5 million people willing to help them in one way or another. He cited intelligence estimates from this summer that suggest that as many as 500,000-750,000 people are willing and trained to die, 10 million are willing to actively support them, short of killing, while another 50 million are willing to support such a movement financially.
Is the alert system still operating? Orange, yellow, where are we?
Bodansky is, unfortunately in this case, reliable and solid.
these kind of warnings and little or nothing is done on the border. i saw asa hutchinson on tv talking about new drones that fly over the border to film people crossing. oh good, take pictures of them. did they wave back to the camera.
what kind of idiots do we have running this security. put the army on the border and tell anyone coming across to march right back where they came from.
they actually catch people and have them sign a promise they will show up for deportation hearing.
is anyone here so dumb that they would make a policy like this? asa hutchinson has to be the biggesst idiot in government
Think about this the next time you're tempted to criticize the patriot act.
It's a fight for the survival of western civilization, but let's hope it's not too late before everyone knows the truth.
According to Richard Miniter, in his book THE SHADOW WAR, we and our allies (which are numerous, despite what John Kerry said during the campaign) thwart about a plot a day around the world. However, I don't think anyone expects us to be able to discover and stop every plot, so a hit in this country is always a possibility - not one that is "heightened" at this particular time. For those who believe in such, they need to be in prayer for the safety of this country.
Thanks for the post. IMHO, the islamic terrorists would hit us whoever won the election. They are fanatics of a death cult. Had Kerry won the election, the terrorists' rationale would be the same as before 9/11, that is, the U.S. is weak and can be bullied, so hit 'em again, only harder. Since Bush won, the rationale is different, but the result won't be. At least with Bush, we know the retaliation will massive. If a nuke goes off in the U.S., Iran and Saudi Arabia need to be reduced to rubble. Mecca and Medina need to be glowing pits within 12 hours.
al zawarihi just realeased a tape today as well... could be the signal to go... this is going to happen. Those I know on the inside of HSD are thinking it is going to happen. Just a matter of when. Thanks for posting this!
These terrorist attacks and threats will NEVER end till Jesus comes back to reign from Jerusalem OVER the WHOLE world!!
......invest Now!
(Romans 10:17)
Sometimes we give them to much credit.I wish this was hyperbole but it's not. Whether you feel Bodansky is credible or not is a different matter. The fact that "they" want to kill as many of "us" as possible is a known and understood fact. It's not "if", it's only when.
I am related to a high level counter-terrorist expert (trust me - his credentials and experience are impeccable) that has been telling me for years about these Islamic terrorists and their hate for America. We spoke on the evening of September 10, 2001 and he indicated then that someday they would strike hard...little did we know it would be the next day.
He says that it's only a matter of time for a WMD to be used here on our soil. The challenge for us then begins. Where do we strike back? Who do we "NUKE" in retaliation?
We need to pray for our President and our leaders that they will have the needed wisdom to respond to this most likely event.
Good post.
Couple things. Thing one, he mentions that AQ did not launch a second attack on US soil. Well, 9/11 WAS the second attack, the first was Feb '93, huge truck bomb in the WTC. I have read lots of "terrorism experts" who never ever mention 2/93.
Thing two, if AQ or any terror organization actually had a working WMD there would be tremendous pressure from any other terror group to steal it and use it. It would be very difficult to hang onto and keep safe from nuts more radical than whoever has it. It would be use it or lose it, I'm guessing a few months at most.
Two buildings, two nations, and they still want to play.
REAL stupid, but, ok...
Personally, I think Bodansky's purpose is to make sure that we don't get overconfident.
Bupkis from Bodanski?
If OBL could have sent a bomb, rather than a tape, I believe he would have done so.
If AAZ could have sent a bomb, rather than a month old tape, I believe he would have done so.
Bottom line, both Osama and Ayman are so far in their holes that they are not communicating or coordinating even simple taped messages. I believe they are so busy running, hiding, and trying to stay alive that they scarcely have time for anything else.
Put away the tin foil, but by all means stay alert.
The duty of the PRESIDENT in that case would be the NON MUTUAL ASSURED DESTRUCTION of the islamic world..i think 1 or two of our trident subs could do the job.Of course no oil, economic colapse but REVENGE is not the worst thing