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Plotters Plan Mass Suicide on Train on 9/11/06
Abc News ^ | 07/07/06 | Brian Ross

Posted on 07/08/2006 1:46:55 PM PDT by SleekMaid

Federal law enforcement officials tell ABC News a plot designed to use 15 to 20 suicide bombers on one commuter train as close to Sept. 11 as possible was well underway.

The specific target was the PATH commuter trains that run in a tunnel under the Hudson River into New York City.

"This is a plot that would have involved martyrdom, explosives and certain of the tubes that connect New Jersey with lower Manhattan," said Mark Mershon, Assistant Director-in-Charge of the FBI New York Field Office. "We're not discussing the modality behind, beyond that."

But law enforcement officials say the plotters had already accessed detailed blueprints and drawings of the PATH tunnels, available on the internet.

And like the London bombers, the plan was to load backpacks with explosives.

All 15 to 20 bombers were to board one car and detonate when the train was under the river, according to officials.

"There's no question that they are vulnerable. With the right amount of explosives, the tunnel could be compromised," said Gerry Hauer, former Director of New York City's Office of Emergency Management and now an ABC News consultant.

The FBI identified the ringleader as 32-year-old Assem Hammoud of Lebanon.

Lebanese officials arrested him in April at the request of the FBI, and he reportedly has now admitted he was about to go to Pakistan for training at an al Qaeda camp. "We know that he has acknowledged pledging a bayat or allegiance to Osama bin Laden, and he proclaims himself to be a member of al Qaeda," said Mershon.

Security was stepped up today at the PATH tunnels.

Officials said today two other alleged plotters had also been arrested, but at least five of them remain at large.

"This shows we are able to disrupt terror plots such as this," said New York City Police Commissioner Ray Kelly. "Secondly, it shows that New York remains in the terrorists' cross hairs."

Officials say the plot was uncovered more than a year ago by U.S. and Canadian intelligence agents watching a jihadist internet chat room.

Officials say the suspects communicated freely, thinking that no one could track them.

Similar chat rooms were used by the alleged terrorists arrested recently in Toronto and Miami.

"The chat rooms have literally exploded since 9/ll because we are now right in the midst of electronic jihad," said Jack Cloonan, former senior agent on the FBI's bin Laden squad in New York and now an ABC News consultant.

Officials say none of the plotters was in the United States but that several of them were nearby in Canada. Others had planned to travel to New York from Saudi Arabia.

Officials say even after their leader was arrested in April, the plotters continued to make plans, and officials say they can't be sure the plan is fully stopped, even now.


TOPICS: Breaking News; Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events; US: New Jersey; US: New York; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: 911; alqaeda; counterterrorism; fbi; foiled; gwot; hammoud; islam; jihadinamerica; lebanon; muslim; muslimhalfwits; newyork; nyc; pakistan; path; pathtrains; sealcanadaborder; subway; suicidebombers; trainingcamps; wot; wtc
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To: SleekMaid

Hopefully Al Queda shall die the same death as the KKK, the American Nazis, and the Black Panthers, wherein their "secret" meetings have more FBI agents and informers than actual freaks. Glad to see the authorities were on this one for a year or more. One would hope that was plenty of time to follow a trail or two back to the Afghan/Pak border...


101 posted on 07/08/2006 6:12:08 PM PDT by nicollo (All economics are politics)
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To: SleekMaid

It's also interesting how all this stuff specifically comes up right after a public disagreement about funding cuts for HLS in New York. Irony or politics?


102 posted on 07/08/2006 6:13:27 PM PDT by Bernard (God helps those who helps themselves - The US Government takes in the rest.)
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To: Left2Right

>>>It's beginning to look as if the only way to deal with this is going to be mass deportations and the rounding up of all Muslims as we did to the Japanese in WWII.<<<

Right! We should have started this operation on September 12, 2001.

Why give them another opportunity to kill Americans here at home and then brag about it?


103 posted on 07/08/2006 6:15:11 PM PDT by Palladin ("Governor Lynn Swann."...it has a nice ring to it!)
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To: Blue Jays

I know dozens who were there on both days but only two who didn't make it out the second time. A lot of folks saw atrocities that they will never forget, like your team-mate.


104 posted on 07/08/2006 6:15:48 PM PDT by wtc911 (You can't get there from here)
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To: SleekMaid

"...and he reportedly has now admitted he was about to go to Pakistan for training at an al Qaeda camp."

uh huh

Paging Pervez Musharraf!!

Paging Pervez Musharraf!!

White Courtesy telephone, please!!


105 posted on 07/08/2006 6:16:31 PM PDT by Bean Counter (Stout Hearts!!)
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To: Minutemen
Because liberal half-wits surmise that it is not our place to be God, but it is o.k. for muzzies to play the part.

The liberal half-wits may have a point. Does it make me a bad man to arrange for muzzies to meet God before they want to? I mean that if I choose to let them arrange a meeting without hurting and killing innocents, it should not be a problem.

106 posted on 07/08/2006 6:18:24 PM PDT by ARealMothersSonForever (Political troglodyte with a partisan axe to grind)
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To: SleekMaid

" This has given me chills. ....This news is very troubling."

Me too.
However, last night on MSNBC ( the New York Times of cable ) they were guffawing about this story on the UberOlberMoonbat show .
Olbermoonbat and the MSNBC expert on terrorism-some woman named Yahyah or YeeHah ridiculed the story and accused the FBI of lying about the facts.
It was all a big joke to them, nothing more than a phony PR ploy by the Bush WH.


107 posted on 07/08/2006 6:26:19 PM PDT by Wild Irish Rogue
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To: LeoWindhorse

I am not guilty, ask a LIB.


108 posted on 07/08/2006 6:48:10 PM PDT by Minutemen ("It's a Religion of Peace")
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To: ARealMothersSonForever

I dont have an argument with you. Your argument is with the liberal minded.


109 posted on 07/08/2006 6:50:21 PM PDT by Minutemen ("It's a Religion of Peace")
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To: ARealMothersSonForever

you need to work on your reading skills. Nowhere did I say we should COWER in fear.


110 posted on 07/08/2006 6:55:41 PM PDT by stuck_in_new_orleans
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To: Minutemen
No argument intended. It was a facetious question ~:0)
111 posted on 07/08/2006 6:56:23 PM PDT by ARealMothersSonForever (Political troglodyte with a partisan axe to grind)
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To: proxy_user

you didn't suggest profiling, did you? (sarcasm)


112 posted on 07/08/2006 6:57:10 PM PDT by RDTF ("We love death. The US loves life. That is the big difference between us two.” Osama Bin laden)
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To: stuck_in_new_orleans
See stuck. See stuck run. Stuck says it will happen. We have a plan. Run, plan run.

Do not attempt to deride the statement. The statement is that another attack is NOT inevitable. Unless we all puss out and go t!ts up, believing that we are helpless. We are not.

113 posted on 07/08/2006 7:05:44 PM PDT by ARealMothersSonForever (Political troglodyte with a partisan axe to grind)
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To: cripplecreek
It makes me glad I live in the sticks.

This affirms my decision to live in the sticks.

114 posted on 07/08/2006 7:20:08 PM PDT by Recovering Hermit (Apparently, most who protest for peace do so at the expense of hygiene.)
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To: ARealMothersSonForever
See stuck. See stuck run. Stuck says it will happen. We have a plan. Run, plan run.

I suggest you start breaking the prozacs in half.

Do not attempt to deride the statement. The statement is that another attack is NOT inevitable. Unless we all puss out and go t!ts up, believing that we are helpless. We are not.

Take your head out of the sand. Everyone from Rumsfeld to the FREAKING President of the United States has said that its only a matter of time before they attack us. Again, I suggest you brush up on your reading comprehension

115 posted on 07/08/2006 7:25:38 PM PDT by stuck_in_new_orleans
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To: ALOHA RONNIE

thanks for the link. Truly chilling.


116 posted on 07/08/2006 7:27:00 PM PDT by angcat ("IF YOU DON'T STAND BEHIND OUR TROOPS, PLEASE, FEEL FREE TO STAND IN FRONT OF THEM !")
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To: livius

My mom's Godson is still in therapy and he escaped running over bodies. His mother also escaped and still cries to my mom on the phone her story is "it was the end of the world as they sat in boats in the harbor and F16's flew over" This has not passed for NYers.


117 posted on 07/08/2006 7:30:29 PM PDT by angcat ("IF YOU DON'T STAND BEHIND OUR TROOPS, PLEASE, FEEL FREE TO STAND IN FRONT OF THEM !")
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To: RDTF

Perhaps we can get a bunch of darkish looking fellows with mustaches to go in carrying backpacks.

I don't think these sort of police officers would do nothing. They are quite formidable-looking.


118 posted on 07/08/2006 7:45:42 PM PDT by proxy_user
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To: angcat; JLO; All

.

Lifetime lifesaver RICK RESCORLA's terrorism far sightedness has been sorely missed and our appreciation of him continues to grow over time.


See 4th Picture down:

http://www.Freerepublic.com/~JLO

.


119 posted on 07/08/2006 7:48:08 PM PDT by ALOHA RONNIE ("ALOHA RONNIE" Guyer/Veteran-"WE WERE SOLDIERS" Battle of IA DRANG-1965 http://www.lzxray.com)
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To: SleekMaid

PING


120 posted on 07/08/2006 8:10:15 PM PDT by AnimalLover ( ((Are there special rules and regulations for the big guys?)))
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