Now, prior to 9/11 AQ was likely already seeking material or suitcase nukes... there have been several stories about this, the authenticity is unknown, but many experts (including Michael Scheuer - former head of the CIA bin Laden unit) believe the tales to be legit. So, if they had the material/weapon, why not use it? Simple... the time was not right, and they wanted to give America the chance to save itself (or at least the appearance of that chance) from what they believe is the inevitable destruction of our country.
Bin Laden took some heat from different circles that he did not give us enough warning of 9/11. There was never a legal ruling, or fatwa, issued against the U.S. by anyone other than himself... and he is not a cleric. Since 9/11, bin Laden and his top aides have been meticilously laying out their reasoning for the attacks, and have given us ways to prevent a future... more catastrophic one. Last year, when Imperial Hubris came out, Scheuer stated the following on CBS' 60 Minutes.
"He [bin Laden] secured from a Saudi sheik named Hamid bin Fahd a rather long treatise on the possibility of using nuclear weapons against the Americans. Specifically, nuclear weapons," says Scheuer. "And the treatise found that he was perfectly within his rights to use them. Muslims argue that the United States is responsible for millions of dead Muslims around the world, so reciprocity would mean you could kill millions of Americans."
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/11/12/60minutes/main655407.shtml
So, at this point... it would seem that it would be legitimate for AQ to use a nuke.
Now, does AQ really have the capability? Who knows for sure, but there is certainly enough material floating around out there for trained scientists to put together a crude nuclear weapon. Would these scientists, largely Pakistani Muslims, use their know how to create a device, or service an old one, for AQ to use? Good question. We could look back to Kadeer Khan who said, "All Western countries, including Israel, are not only the enemies of Pakistan but, in fact, of Islam. (Link)" Rhetoric, or a true statement? I guess we will find out someday.
As far as Pak/Russian scientists working for AQ... several sources have claimed this to be true as well, including a book I read (linked in the last paragraph) called Osama's Revenge. Here are some quotes:
"But Pakistan's community of nuclear scientists and technicians remains "profoundly fundamentalist" and anti-American. They remain particularly resentful of the economic and military sanctions against Pakistan's nuclear weapons program that were imposed by the Bush Administration following the discoveries of proliferation."
"Intelligence sources have confirmed that SPETSNAZ officials from the former Soviet Union were on bin Laden's payroll from 1996 to 2001 to maintain and prepare the nuclear suitcases for activation. Moreover, following the invasion of Afghanistan and the loss of his laboratories, bin Laden reportedly sought out and obtained the technical assistance of twelve leading Pakistani scientists, including Dr. Sultan Bashiruddin Mahmood, Dr. Chaudry Abdul Najid, and Dr. Mirza Ysus Baig. On November 25, 2001, Taliban leader Mullah Omar assured BBC reporters that the nuclear destruction of the United States was well underway. 'The plan is going ahead and, God Willing, it is being implemented. But it is a huge task, which is beyond the will and comprehension of human beings. If God's help is with us, this will happen within a short period of time; keep in mind this prediction."
http://www.ianlivingston.com/archived/2004/osamasrevenge_july14.htm
I'll finish this post with a quote from another good article on the subject... it goes into the relatively simple process of creating a nuclear weapon these days, as well as other general information:
Before and after the 2004 elections, Osama bin Laden and his deputy Ayman al Zawahiri issued "final chance" warnings to Americans that some watchers have interpreted as an Islamic gesture made in order to justify the future use of weapons of mass destruction. (Al Qaeda was criticized by some radical clerics for not issuing such a warning before 9/11.) As for which kind of weapons might be used, two al Qaeda-linked militants captured by German intelligence in January were recorded discussing locations at which uranium could be acquired. While it's nice to know this particular cell was still looking, they weren't the first to seek such a purchase, and they won't be the last.
I believe your excellent summary to be true. Now, what steps can be taken to ensure that these nukes-apparently some assembled already- are NOT detonated?
Bookmarking for reading later
Thank you nw.