Posted on 01/22/2007 12:16:37 PM PST by maquiladora
Edited on 01/22/2007 12:29:11 PM PST by Admin Moderator. [history]
ABC NEWS: DOCS SEIZED IN IRAQ REVEAL INSURGENT PLAN FOR ATTACK IN U.S.
Suspects, Reportedly Tied to Al Qaeda in Iraq, Sought Student Visas
WASHINGTON, Jan. 22, 2007 — Mimicking the hijackers who executed the Sept. 11 attacks, insurgents reportedly tied to al Qaeda in Iraq considered using student visas to slip terrorists into the United States to orchestrate a new attack on American soil.
Lt. Gen. Michael D. Maples, head of the Defense Intelligence Agency, recently testified that documents captured by coalition forces during a raid of a safe house believed to house Iraqi members of al Qaeda six months ago "revealed [AQI] was planning terrorist operations in the U.S."
At the time, Maples offered little additional insight into the possible terror plot. ABC News, however, has learned new details of what remains a classified incident that has been dealt with at the highest levels of government.
Watch the full report tonight on "World News with Charles Gibson."
Sources tell ABC News that the plot may have involved moving between 10 and 20 suspects believed to be affiliated with al Qaeda in Iraq into the United States with student visas — the same method used by the 19 al Qaeda terrorists who struck American targets on Sept. 11.
U.S. officials now require universities to closely track foreign nationals who use student visas to study in the United States. University officials must report international students who fail to arrive on campus or miss class regularly.
In August, the FBI and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement alerted intelligence agencies and state and local law enforcement about 11 Egyptian students who had failed to report to their classes at Montana State University. The students were ultimately apprehended.
Still, despite the heightened precautions, some security analysts fear that skilled terrorists — handpicked because of their clean records and because they are carefully trained — could still slip through an academic setting.
The plot was discovered six months ago, roughly the same time that Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the leader of al Qaeda in Iraq, was killed by coalition forces. Sources tell ABC News that the suspects involved in the effort to launch the U.S. attack were closely associated with Zarqawi.
The plan also came only months after Ayman al-Zawahiri, al Qaeda's No. 2, had requested that Zarqawi attempt an attack inside the United States.
"This appears to be the first hard evidence al Qaeda in Iraq was trying to attack us here at home," said ABC News consultant Richard Clarke, former chief counterterrorism adviser on the U.S. National Security Council.
The plan was uncovered in its early stages, and sources say there is no indication that the suspects made it into the United States. Officials also emphasize that there is no evidence of an imminent attack.
The hunt for suspects continues, however, and some fear that al Qaeda recruits in Iraq could be easily redirected.
"Anyone willing to go to Iraq to fight American troops is probably willing to try to come to the United States," Clarke said.
http://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=2813235&page=1
It hasn't made a top story on Yahoo
But..don't you see...these terrorists were all friendly guys who only turned against us because of our "ill-advised invasion" of Iraq, which "distracted us" from trying to "arrest" Osama bin Laden and "bring him to trial," according to nitwit former anti-Vietnam War punk Richard Clarke.
Pelosi's fault.
And yet the spineless yellow-bellied, self-indulged, socialist still blame and hate Bush.
I'll stick with Bush.
"Anyone willing to go to Iraq to fight American troops is probably willing to try to come to the United States," Clarke said."
But we're better prepared this time. We don't have Clarke as "terror czar".
"Warner and Coleman have joined the Congressional Traitor Corp!"
Congress is going to force a withdrawal from Iraq, and give Al Qaeda its first victory in the WOT. The blame belongs squarely on Congress.
Some of the people in the same group did report. Eleven of them split off from the others and didn't show up where others already had done so.
My husband works in transportation and he said that I wouldn't believe how many of his company's truck drivers are foreigners. And most of them don't understand english very well and are hard to communicate with.Just last week there was this never ending saga with this driver about where he was and it turned out he was in Indiana!
"MSU Fall semester didn't begin until September in 2006 [like many schools]. Yet, the alert concerning the "students" came in August, one month before classes even began?
Here's a link to MSU 2006 Fall schedule clearly showing classes didn't begin until September:"
True, but registration is usually at least a week before classes begin.
"RE: #76. Wouldn't it be a little strange to get busted in August 2006, for not showing up for your college course, which, by the way, doesn't even START until September 6!?!
Some things here don't add up."
There was a month long course they were to take that started before the fall classes. It included English.
No way the media said they are not a threat... The media says we should pull out our troops and let them attack us here. The liberals can't wait until we are attacked again... with their hope that a Democrat will be at the helm.. The U.S. is doomed...
Find later
Good memory.
Bump
"This appears to be the first hard evidence al Qaeda in Iraq was trying to attack us here at home," said ABC News
Al Qaeda in Iraq... wow, straight from the mouths of the MSM disbelievers.
Is this the Richard Clarke who said Condi Rice didn't have a clue what the Taliban was?
QUOTE:
Reminds me of the adage, "If brains were dynamite, most liberals couldn't blow their nose."
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LAUGHING SO HARD I had to put down my coffee.
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