Al Qaeda May Be Plotting Holiday Attacks

CBS News (excerpt) ^

[HAL9000]

Excerpt -

Intelligence agencies have been warned that al Qaeda may be planning to attack air and rail travel in Europe in actions that may occur during the busy holiday travel season, CBS News has learned exclusively.

In separate interviews with Arab and other intelligence sources, CBS News has been told that the warnings come from interrogations of al Qaeda suspects who recently left Afghanistan and Pakistan.

"One suspect said plans for repeating the Heathrow attempt (a reference to the failed 'liquid bomb' plot interrupted in August) were all prepared. It is now a matter of taking action," said one Arab official who asked not to be named because he is not authorized to speak to the media. "Al Qaeda's strategy appears to be raising the pressure in Europe."

In a move that has been puzzling intelligence agencies, al Qaeda has been withdrawing well-trained Arab fighters from the mountains and battlefields of Afghanistan.

~ snip ~

[Senator Goldwater]

Christmas, or the "holidays"?

[RetiredArmy]

Maybe they will include the DNC HQ on their holiday list. Couldn't happen to a finer group of socialist cowards.

[durasell]

First off, I live in NYC -- so you're saying "why not Durasell's home." Think how you would feel if someone wished destruction on your home.

Secondly, NYC is the financial capital of the nation, so the results would be far reaching indeed.

Thirdly, you are essentially saying "target these Americans because they deserve it." I would counter that no Americans deserve it.

[Mo1]

IMO .. the reason Al-q is moving out and letting the Taliban take over is because if there is a major attack by them .. guess what the easiest place to bomb is??

It sure ain't in the other arab countries

[Fred Hayek]

I have no problem voting for San Francisco, since it is not part of the United States.

[Uncle Vlad]

I think we need a Hiroshima before we wake up. Even then, the jury is still out.

[sully777]

Thankfully
The Germans Are Here
To Save Us From Rumsfeld!

[Chewie84]

I was just about to say that. I remember a few years ago, an Al Qaeda representative appeared in a video talking about an attack on American soil during the Christmas season and ominously saying, "The gift for the holiday is on its way." Nothing happened.
Not saying we should let our guard down, of course, but we shouldn't get too paranoid, either.

[pawdoggie]

In a move that has been puzzling intelligence agencies, al Qaeda has been withdrawing well-trained Arab fighters from the mountains and battlefields of Afghanistan.

I'm a little shocked to see CBS acknowledge that there were/are A-rabs Al Qaeda in Afghanistan, we had been assured that they were all in Iraq because of Don Rumsfeld. There are any number of possible explanations for this: the fact (as the article points out) that the Arabs don't blend in well with the locals, and that it's hard to ask Talibs to fight both "foreign invaders" and other Afghani Muslims when the guy next to you may well be a foreigner himself. There is also the fact that Old Man Winter is coming on, and that usually means that it's time to head back to winter quarters in Pakistan before the passes snow over.

[oceanview]

I hate to say this, because I don't want to appear to be wishing it on anyone.

But our best "hope" is that the wake up call - happens overseas - the UK, Europe, Israel. Rather then it happening inside the US first. even the american media would have to cover a dirty bomb or nerve gas, taking out a piece of London or Tel Aviv.

I mean, it would have to be a 3 day story for them at least, wouldn't it?

[doug from upland]

They are sure emboldened.

[rfp1234]

See-BS has ben working on this story for 3-4 months minimum. NOW they release it (Fri. PM news dump).

It obviously is a story favorable to the GOP's approach to terrorism. DUH - aggressive interrogations work and yield valuable info. to stop terror plots - who would have thunk it?!

No Enemedia bias there...rrrrrrrright? />sarcoffagus

[rfp1234]

-- Question: "are you a woman first, or a democrat first?" Answer: "I'm a democrat first". --

Idiotic question.

She is from the land where gender doesn't matter.

[red irish]

I am afraid you are right. And the next few years are going to be scarey. The thing is I really believe they will try to hit New York again. Or is it the White House they were going on about today?

[rfp1234]

--I mean, it would have to be a 3 day story for them at least, wouldn't it?--

On the fourth day they would dig up some other macaca story about Dick Cheney from 1965.

[Perdogg]

eff'em. Its Europe's problem, not America's. Why would they want a Cowboy like Bush to help them??? They should take it to the United Nations, if they need help.

[red irish]

Oh yea kawaza is really big don't ya know? sarcs!

[Zack Nguyen]

"We have picked intelligence information suggesting that Iran's Revolutionary Guards had helped some of these Arabs to travel to Iraq. But it would be wrong to say that Iran has become the main route for this."

This should be a real concern. Shiites working with Sunnis. Who said the Arab terrorists aren't practical?

[rfp1234]

--In a move that has been puzzling intelligence agencies, al Qaeda has been withdrawing well-trained Arab fighters from the mountains and battlefields of Afghanistan.--

Ominous implications: they may be heading elsewhere to snuff out Mubarak, high-ranking Saudis, or other US allies in the mideast. The Europe rumors may be a diversionary ruse or a bluff.
All this may be speculative, but as the 9-11 Commission indicated, ome problem was a failure of imagination. We might as well use it now.