Posted on 06/05/2006 4:14:43 PM PDT by West Coast Conservative
U.S. officials believe Canadian arrests over the weekend and three recent domestic incidents in the United States are evidence the U.S. will soon be hit again by a terrorist attack. Privately, they say, they'd be surprised if it didn't come by the end of the year, reports CBS News correspondent Jim Stewart.
The first of the domestic incidents, all of which drew little attention at the time, began with the holdup of a string of Torrance, Calif. gas stations last summer. Muslim converts who bonded together in prison planned to use the robberies to finance attacks on 20 Army recruiting stations.
Los Angeles Police Chief William Bratton admits they stumbled on the plot during a search.
"Make no mistake about it," Bratton said. "We dodged a bullet here — perhaps many bullets."
Police in Toledo, Ohio, busted another cell in February. This one consisted of three men training to attack U.S. forces overseas. Once again, luck played a role. When they tried to enlist someone in their mosque to help, he turned them in.
"These individuals are often hiding in plain sight in cities like Torrance and now Toledo," says John Pistole, a FBI deputy director.
Two months ago, a pair of Atlanta men, one a Georgia Tech engineering student, were arrested not long after communicating by e-mail with two of the suspects arrested in Canada over the weekend. The Atlanta men are charged with videotaping domestic targets, including the U.S. Capitol and the World Bank.
Analysts now conclude similarities between all the cases were dramatic: All were self-financed, self-motivated, and in each case the men were seeking out others to join their cell.
In short, Osama bin Laden didn't pay for these plots, recruit for them or even know of them. They were all totally homegrown — even amateurish. But if four, including the one in Canada, have been uncovered in just 11 months, officials fear there are inevitably other plots that have not been and are maturing even now.
The next attack here, officials predict, will bear no resemblance to Sept. 11. The casualty toll will not be that high, the target probably not that big. We may not even recognize it for what it is at first, they say. But it's coming — of that they seem certain.
Many conservatives support GWB on the WOT but loathe his position on borders and illegal aliens.
It's illogical to assume that they will take the time to enter illegally through a desert when all they need is a valid passport and cover identity that won't generate any hits in our computer databases.
It's an 8 hour flight from Continental Europe, 7 from England.
Well said.
For many other libs, an attack on our soil would wake them up and make them upset with their former blindness. It happened on 911, and it would happen again. I have faith in America and her people, regardless of whether they're first-generation immigrants or descendants from the Mayflower pilgrims. My faith in Americans holds even regardless of whether they're Liberals, because a lot of those would become non-Liberals real fast at the sight of American children bleeding and dead from an Islamic terrorist attack on a shopping mall or school.
They will have been "mugged by reality," which is one standing definition of of a conservative.
I guess my point was to tie in the immigration issue with terrorism. GWB would surely catch the blame regardless.
maybe.
We have a lot of good people in the FBI trying to prevent that kind of thing from happening now.
What you are saying is a problem without a doubt. Certainly any long-term ops would probably come from that direction, but I think AQ is more into hitting us quickly now given how our system works to try to shock us.
And I mean what better way to get a valued operative out than by flying them back to relative safety (at least by their view) in a few hours?
I see them as two parts of the whole.
I've backed Dubya and still do on his foreign prosecution of the WoT.
He and I don't see eye to eye on the Domestic Front.
I'm as vocal about supporting his efforts abroad as I am about criticizing his lack of purpose on the borders ( all the borders)
Well, it could happen. But as recent events have shown us, I believe that our biggest problem lies with the Northern border in this regard.
Perhaps not...but I believe that the terrorists need to have access to first world supplies to carry out their missions and Mexico is not where it's at.
But, if they are shown to have come through Mexico, I will be the first to admit I was wrong.
I'm convinced that they (and others) have prevented it for almost five years now. Not that the media or the Dems would ever admit it.
Which is completely fair.
However, you can loathe his position on borders and illegals without making everything about that AND supporting the tossing out of the majorities.
FWIW, I LOATHE the President's NCLB Act. It is completely and utterly a waste of time and effort. But I wouldn't trade him for the alternatives any day of the week.
You and I are on the same wave length. I just didn't want to bring up the subject but since you have, I'll comment on it. If this were done can you imagine the reverberations in the retail industry?
Its interesting to note that intel can never spout off about its accomplishments as it would blow its cover.
However all of their failures are trumpeted by the media.
It gives a onesided appearence to their work
"Police in Toledo, Ohio, busted another cell in February. This one consisted of three men training to attack U.S. forces overseas. Once again, luck played a role. When they tried to enlist someone in their mosque to help, he turned them in."
Give that Muzzie a medal. Glad to see at least ONE of them has some common descency about him. Damn, if they keep that up I might have to change my mind about Islime.
But I doubt it.
"It's time to for John Q citizen to let these people know that we will not tolerate their evil ways any longer. We will not let them destroy our country. Either they police thier own ranks or we will do it for them."
Amen Brother
Semper Fi
I agree 100 percent. They have no idea. Just like they didn't have any idea on United's Flight 93.
Slow to anger...my a$$.
Only the dimwitted liberals are slow to anger.Moderates and Conservatives aren't burdened by touchy feely guilt syndrome. The next attack on the USA will unleash hell on them.
I hope.
"I don't think the wake up will happen until a dirty or low yield nuke, hits a mid size mid-west city."
I agree with you except on the location. There will be a political convulsion in this country that in one fell swoop will consign the Democratic party and political correctness to the dust bin of history.
There should be, anyway. Regardless.
Wrong. Most people here illegally came on valid visas...but never left when they were supposed to.
Your hitting abuse was truly stupid.
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