Posted on 10/29/2007 5:36:44 PM PDT by Clintonfatigued
A 2003 FBI memo alerted law enforcement agencies that al-Qaeda had talked of masterminding a plot to set a series of devastating bushfires around the western US.
The June 25 memo reported that an al-Qaeda detainee spoke of plans involving three or four people to set fires using timed devices in Colorado, Montana, Utah and Wyoming.
"The detainee believed that significant damage to the US economy would result and once it was realised that the fires were terrorist acts, US citizens would put pressure on the US government to change its policies," the memo said.
In 2004, an Arabic-language jihad website posted a message purporting to be al-Qaeda's plan of economic attack on the US that included setting fires causing billions of dollars in damage.
This week's fires in Southern California have already cost more than $1 billion in lost property and displaced more than a million people.
Today FBI officials have confirmed that a fire in Orange County was started by an arsonist.
Professor Rohan Gunaratna, one of the world's foremost experts on terrorism and the author of what is considered the authoritative study on al-Qaeda, Inside Al Qaeda, describes how terrorists are becoming increasingly creative when it comes to plotting attacks.
"Guns and bombs are a terrorists' forte, but today they are becoming increasingly creative and imaginative because they are under pressure," said Mr Gunaratna. "That's why governments need to also be imaginative and creative in their fight."
Mr Gunaratna confirmed that the detainee who was captured in 2003 and spoke of the fire plot was a high level al-Qaeda operative.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.ninemsn.com.au ...
This was recently discussed on the news show “Fox & Friends.” I don’t know what to think about it.
Change its policies regarding what, exactly?
Dhimitude!
The authorities have one, unnamed suspect in custody. The perp’s name has not yet been revealed to the American citizenry.
How coincidental is the timing of the I-5 tunnel fire? Did they ever find the 9 “missing” truck drivers?
We’d be so scared that we’d bend over to the IslamoFascists? Like the Spanish? I sincerely doubt it, buddy. We have arsonists all over the place, what’s a few more with rags on their heads? Nothing we can’t take care of.
Hopefully about building firebreaks without regard for some endangered rat, snail, or other vermin. Hopefully allowing the BLM and Forest Service to actually manage the land without being sued by some enviro-Mental-ist group.
I was thinking more along the lines of what we would insist on doing to the terrorists.
Well, if you’ll recall how many of the Greek fires this past summer were deliberately set by arsonists, then you’ll better understand why I’ve been saying all along that CA has been Greeced!!!
probably is terrorism, but thank GOD not too many people perished.
Go back to that old thread and check the follow-ups. There were no “missing” truck drivers.
Which thread?
CHP looking for missing drivers from I-5 truck accident
ABC News ^ | 10/20/2007California authorities are trying to determine the whereabouts of at least 9 drivers involved in the deadly I-5 tunnel crash. Ten people injured in the crash were taken to area hospitals, another 10 escaped the flames uninjured, three others, including a 6 year old were killed in the crash. That totals 23 people, but the CHP says 31 vehicles were involved in the crash which leaves at least 9 drivers unaccounted for at this time. Warren Stanley of the California Highway Patrol, "We have to identify all the vehicles and determine who they belong to and based on registration we...
At Least Nine I-5 Crash Survivors Unaccounted for, Officials Say
Los Angeles Times ^ | October 16, 2007 | Tami Abdollah, Ann M. Simmons and and Dan WeikelAuthorities were working Monday to learn the identities of a number of survivors who apparently walked away from this weekend's fiery crash in an Interstate 5 truck tunnel, and, as far as officials are concerned, disappeared into thin air. At least nine unaccounted-for drivers are presumed to have been in the tunnel at the time of the massive chain-reaction crash that temporarily severed California's primary north-south traffic artery Friday night.
Thanks for the reminder, I had forgotten about that.
When the Santa Ana winds start up next time maybe the neighbors can organize and have 24 hour patrols around the neighborhoods.
Is the link to the story referenced at posts 34-35 on this FR thread:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1911962/posts
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