Posted on 02/26/2008 9:43:07 AM PST by ventanax5
On the morning of February 26, 1993, Islamic militants steered a nondescript Ryder van through the winding darkness of the parking garage under the World Trade Center. They had spent years planning this moment in secret meetings at mosques and jailhouses, in rural outposts that served as paramilitary camps, and in safehouses where explosive compounds were mixed in makeshift labs.
Loaded into the van’s rear compartment was a 1,400-pound chemical bomb.
The explosive detonated at a few minutes after noon. The hyper-intensive shockwave bored a six-story canyon into the bowels of the complex. Seven people were killed (one of the six officially listed murder victims having been well along in her pregnancy), over a thousand were injured, and the structural damage would cost nearly a billion dollars to repair.
Amid the terror, the dark cloud that envelops us still 15 years later, was a silver lining. This time, the “battalion of Islam” — as the “blind sheikh,” Omar Abdel Rahman, liked to refer to the cells in his emerging jihad army — had failed.
It had been the intention of the World Trade Center bombers to annihilate tens of thousands of Americans, in addition to rendering the world’s most significant financial district uninhabitable. Detonation was consciously timed for maximum carnage: high noon on a Friday, when as many as 120,000 business professionals, laborers, diners, tourists, and area residents typically swarmed the Twin Towers and their immediate Wall Street environs.
(Excerpt) Read more at article.nationalreview.com ...
Defense of Democracies Offers to Debate Rep. Walz on Terrorist Surveillance
Today, Defense of Democracies also is providing responses to a press release issued by the Congressman’s office yesterday – and offering to engage the Congressman in a free and open debate on vital national security issues.
The responses are from Andrew C. McCarthy, a former federal terrorism prosecutor affiliated with Defense of Democracies. Mr. McCarthy is widely recognized for his expertise in anti-terrorism legislation, both as a practitioner and a legal scholar. He has been involved in numerous terrorist prosecutions, most notably the 1993 World Trade Center Bombing (see bio below).
The paragraphs below are quoted directly from Rep. Walz’s 2/23 press release.
The ad can be viewed here.
Mr. McCarthy is available to discuss his responses in more detail with reporters seeking clarification on any issues raised by Rep. Walz. He also takes this opportunity to offer to debate the issue with Rep. Walz, so that the people of Minnesota may hear all the facts and make their own judgments.
On the National Security Implications of the House’s Failure to Act
Rep. Walz: “This ad is reckless with our national security. Implying that America’s surveillance against terrorists is crippled is a lie. What’s worse, this group has encouraged terrorists to think our country’s surveillance system is weak, when nothing could be further from the truth. Why on earth would any group go on television and claim that America’s intelligence agencies can’t do their job?”
Mr. McCarthy: Prior to February 17, when Congressman Walz and his colleagues in the House Democratic caucus allowed the Protect America Act to lapse, the intelligence community was permitted to monitor any non-American outside the United States without limitation. Because of the House (in)action, the intelligence community must demonstrate probable cause to a secret federal court in Washington in order to monitor any alien outside the United States who is not already covered by the scope of a surveillance order under the now-lapsed statute. It is frivolous to contend that this dramatic shrinkage in coverage—which the nonpartisan Director of National Intelligence, Mike McConnell (formerly the Director of the NSA during the Clinton administration), predicts will degrade our overseas intelligence capacity authority by two-thirds—does not imperil the American people.
Simply stated, the Congress enacted the Protect America Act last August because it correctly perceived that our intelligence collection efforts would be crippled without it. The House has nevertheless chosen to let the Protect America Act lapse. It is absurd to suggest that the lapse is without significant consequence. If that were true, the Protect America Act would never have been passed in the first place.
On Minnesota’s Experience with Terrorist Surveillance
Rep. Walz: This lobbying group’s so-called ‘issue ad’ is a new low,” added Walz. “Citizens in southern Minnesota aren’t fooled by this fear-mongering but they do deserve to know who is behind this shadowy organization and where they are from.”
Mr. McCarthy: How ironic that Congressman Walz has the audacity to make such assertions in Minnesota. We suspect the citizens of southern Minnesota remember that it was in their state that the FBI elected not to seek national-security search authorization for Zacarias Moussaoui because the Bureau did not believe they had enough evidence to convince the FISA court to grant such an application. Moussaoui, of course, was complicit in the 9/11 atrocities. That he was a likely terrorist was obvious to both his flight school instructors and the investigating agents. Yet, the FBI thought the same evidence would be found wanting by a FISA judge. According to Rep. Walz and his colleagues, however, we needn’t worry about the lapse of the Protect America Act because we can go back to seeking FISA court authorization for any new surveillance targets—including aliens overseas who communicate with other aliens overseas, which is to say, targets FISA was never intended to cover.
On the Urgent Need to Enact Intelligence Reform
Rep Walz: Prior to this Congressional recess, Walz urged the President and Congressional leaders on both sides of the aisle to stay in Washington and reach an agreement to permanently modernize the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), properly balancing the government’s intelligence gathering needs with safeguarding the very liberties that millions of Americans have fought and died for.
Mr. McCarthy: Whatever Rep. Walz may have urged, he was not persuasive enough to convince his leadership, which elected to go on vacation rather than enact FISA reform. We note however that, if Rep. Walz really was passionate in urging his colleagues to stay in Washington to protect the American people, it is specious for him to claim, as he does above, that the American people have not been imperiled by the failure of the House to even schedule a vote on the bill that passed by an overwhelming bipartisan margin in the Democrat-controlled Senate.
On Whether We Still Have the Tools In Place to Protect Ourselves
Rep. Walz: “As a 24 year veteran of the National Guard, I understand better than this group that this is a dangerous world,” concluded Walz. “My message to those terrorists who seek to do our country harm is: We still have the tools in place to intercept and disrupt what you may be planning –and we can act lightning fast — because there is no disagreement in our country about protecting the America people.”
Mr. McCarthy: As a federal prosecutor who actually worked on terrorism investigations, I understand better than Rep. Walz that the tools currently in place for investigating those who would kill Americans are inadequate. A probable cause standard, which Rep. Walz is evidently comfortable imposing on our intelligence community overseas, is unworkable. It permits us to monitor only those we already know are dangerous. It does not allow us to discover the new terrorist threats (we did not, for example, have probable-cause evidence against Mohamed Atta on the morning of September 11, 2001). Intercepting and disrupting threats requires connecting dots. Dots cannot be connected unless they are first collected. The (in)action of the House is preventing the intelligence community from collecting information. It is that simple—and the fact that it needs to be said demonstrates that there is deep disagreement in our country about protecting the American people.
Brief biography of Andrew C. McCarthy
From 1993 through 1996, while an Assistant United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, he led the prosecution against the jihad organization of Sheik Omar Abdel Rahman (the “blind sheik”), in which a dozen Islamic militants were convicted of conducting a war of urban terrorism against the United States that included the 1993 World Trade Center bombing and a plot to bomb New York City landmarks.
In 1996, Attorney General Janet Reno presented Mr. McCarthy the Attorney General’s Exceptional Service Award, the Justice Department’s highest honor, for his counterterrorism efforts in furtherance of our national security.
Mr. McCarthy also made major contributions to the prosecutions of the bombers of the United States embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, and the Millennium plot attack Los Angeles International Airport.
Following the September 11 attacks, Mr. McCarthy supervised the U.S. Attorney’s Anti-Terrorism Command Post in New York City, coordinating investigative and preventive efforts with numerous federal and state law enforcement and intelligence agencies. From 1999 through 2003, he was the Chief Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Southern District’s satellite office, responsible for federal law enforcement in six counties north of New York City.
Mr. McCarthy directs the Center for Law and Counterterrorism at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a non-partisan, non-profit policy institute.
He also works with Defense of Democracies which is, as noted above, a non-partisan, non-profit advocacy organization. He is a contributing editor at National Review Online and his writing on national security appears in numerous publications, including Human Events, USA Today, and Commentary magazine. He is quoted frequently on legal issues by the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and the Washington Post and appears regularly on television news programs and talk radio
A better date would be November 4, 1979 when the US Embassy in Tehran was seized and 66 Americans taken hostage. My alternate date would be October 23, 1983 when the Beirut Hilton was bombed and 241 US Marines were killed.
Regards,
TS
I’ll NEVER forget that day.
It still gives me chills.
It’s going to happen again ... and we will NOT be prepared for it.
Let’s not forget about Lynne Stewart.
They don’t have to sweep it under the rug. They’re effectively rewritten the entire history of the attack. Abdul Rahman Yasin never existed, and he most definitely never existed in Saddam’s Iraq.
Ask any average Joe, they’ll tell you.
Ramzi Yousef (1993 WTC) and Terry Nichols crossed paths (OKC) in the Phillipines. Khalid Sheikh Mohammed (9/11) was Yousef's uncle. It is interesting to note that Yousef entered the United States on an Iraqi passport and had been known among the New York fundamentalists as "Rashid, the Iraqi". Another name that could be thrown into the mix is Abdul Rahman Yasin, a U.S. citizen who moved to Iraq in the 1960's and returned to the U.S. in 1992. After the 1993 WTC bombing, Yasin fled to Iraq and was given monthly salary and housing by Saddam Hussein's regime.
..but..but..but, Iraq was no threat to us... //sarc
If we told Bill wag-the-dog Clinton that Osama had pix of him raping Juanita Broddrick, he would have delcared war on the spot.
Ding, ding, ding. Terrorism didn’t start with the 93 WTC bombing ... we dealt with it alot in the 1980’s ... it was just overseas in the Middle East or Europe. But Americans died at the hands of Islam long beofre 1993. I do think the embassy takeover is a good starting point. From there we can track alot ... with the Lebanon experience, the hijackings, our dealings with Lybia, our experiences in the Persian Gulf with Iran and Iraq, etc.
"The administration does not want the victims of Sept. 11 interfering with its foreign policy," says Peter M. Leitner, director of the Washington Center for Peace and Justice (WCPJ). Leitner says the Bush administration may be concerned that if other victims of the Sept. 11 attacks also filed lawsuits and won civil-damage awards it would reduce Iraqi resources that the administration wants to use to rebuild the country. Leitner and others say this explains Bush's reticence at this time to report the convincing evidence linking Saddam and al-Qaeda that has been collected by U.S. investigators and private organizations seeking damages. "The [Bush] administration is intentionally changing the topic," claims Leitner, and sidestepping the issue that "Iraq has been in a proxy war against the U.S. for years and has used al-Qaeda in that war against the United States."
As for connections, the MSM has a very short memory...from news archives:
In in 1998, an Arab intelligence officer, who knows Saddam personally, predicted in Newsweek: "Very soon you will be witnessing large-scale terrorist activity run by the Iraqis." The Arab official said these terror operations would be run under "false flags" --spook-speak for front groups--including bin Laden's organization.
Then there were the predictions by an Iraqi with ties to Iraqi intelligence, Naeem Abd Mulhalhal, in Qusay's own newspaper several weeks before the attacks that stated bin Laden would “demolish the Pentagon after he destroys the White House and ”bin Laden would strike America “on the arm that is already hurting.” (referencing a second IRAQI sponsored attack on the World Trade Center). Another reference to New York was “[bin Laden] will curse the memory of Frank Sinatra everytime he hears his songs.” (e.g., “New York, New York”) which identified New York, New York as a target. Mulhalhal also stated, “The wings of a dove and the bullet are all but one and the same in the heart of a believer." which references an airplane attack.
The Arabic language daily newspaper Al-Quds Al-Arabic also cited the cooperation between Iraq, bin Laden and Al December 1998 editorial, which predicted that “President Saddam Hussein, whose country was subjected to a four day air strike, will look for support in taking revenge on the United States and Britain by cooperating with Saudi oppositionist Osama Bin-Laden, whom the United States considers to be the most wanted person in the world.” This info is in the link provided below. How could these people have had foreknowledge without Iraq being involved?
Warning...slow loading .pdf file. This was from a lawsuit filed against Iraq after 9/11...the court ruled against Iraq.
There was also another lawsuit filed by the family of John O’Neill (a former FBI agent who captured Ramzi Yousef after the 1993 WTC bombings) after he died in the WTC on 9/11. His personal files from his years of traveling around the world investigating al-Qaeda are were used as evidence in the lawsuit. The evidence includes documents unearthed in the headquarters of the Mukhabarat (Iraq's intelligence service) and information gleaned from the interrogation of both al-Qaeda and Iraqi prisoners. (Link below). It also quotes Vincent Cannistraro, the former CIA counter-terrorism chief, who stated in October 2000 that Iraq had been wanting to carry out terrorist attacks, and that the Iraqi military had been in contact with Osama bin Laden.
We know from these IIS documents that beginning in 1992 the former Iraqi regime regarded bin Laden as an Iraqi Intelligence asset. We know from IIS documents that the former Iraqi regime provided safe haven and financial support to an Iraqi who has admitted to mixing the chemicals for the 1993 attack on the World Trade Center. We know from IIS documents that Saddam Hussein agreed to Osama bin Laden's request to broadcast anti-Saudi propaganda on Iraqi state-run television. We know from IIS documents that a "trusted confidante" of bin Laden stayed for more than two weeks at a posh Baghdad hotel as the guest of the Iraqi Intelligence Service.
Abu Nidal, September 11 and Saddam The terrorist network may be closer knit than we think.
Weekly Standard: The Mother of All Connections
List of newspaper article in the 90's which mention the world's concern regarding the growing relationship between OBL and Saddam:
Son of Saddam coordinates OBL activities:
The AQ connection (excellent):
Western Nightmare:
Saddam's link to OBL:
NYT: Iraq and AQ agree to cooperate:
Document linking them:
Iraq and terrorism - no doubt about it:
A federal judge rules there are links:
Wall Street Journal on Iraq and AQ:
Iraq and Iran contact OBL:
More evidence:
Saddam's AQ connection:
Further connections:
What a court of law said about the connections:
Some miscellaneous stuff on connections:
Saddam's Ambassador to Al Qaeda: (February 2004, Weekly Standard)
Yes - it's NewsMax but loaded with interesting bullet points.
Saddam's Fingerprints on NY Bombing (Wall Street Journal, June 1993)
Colin Powell: Iraq and AQ Partners for Years (CNN, February 2003)
The Iraq-Al Qaeda Connections (September 2003, Richard Miniter)
Oil for Food Scandal Ties Iraq and Al Qaeda (June 2003)
Saddam and OBL Make a Pact (The New Yorker, February 2003):
Al Qaeda's Poison Gas (Wall Street Journal, April 2004):
Wolfowitz Says Saddam behind 9/11 Attacks:
Saddam behind first WTC attack - PBS, Laurie Mylroie:
Growing Evidence of Saddam and Al Qaeda Link, The Weekly Standard, July 2003:
Qusay Hussein Coordinated Iraq special operations with Bin Laden Terrorist Activities, Yossef Bodansky, National Press Club
The Western Nightmare: Saddam and Bin Laden vs. the Rest of the World, The Guardian Unlimited:
Saddam Link to Bin Laden, Julian Borger, The Guardian, February 1999
The Al Qaeda Connection, The Weekly Standard, July 2003
Cheney lectures Russert on Iraq/911 Link, September 2003:
No Question About It, National Review, September 2003
Iraq: A Federal Judges Point of View
Mohammed's Account links Iraq to 9/11 and OKC:
Free Republic Thread that mentions some books Freepers might be interested in on this topic:
The Proof that Saddam Worked with AQ, The Telegraph, April 2003:
Saddam's AQ Connection, The Weekly Standard, September 2003
September 11 Victims Sue Iraq:
Osama's Best Friend: The Further Connections Between Al Qaeda and Saddam, The Weekly Standard, November 2003
Terrorist Behind 9/11 Attacks Trained by Saddam, The Telegraph, December 2003
James Woolsey Links Iraq and AQ, CNN Interview, March 2004, Also see Posts #34 and #35
A Geocities Interesting Web Site with maps and connections:
Bin Laden indicted in federal court, read down to find information that Bin Laden agreed to not attack Iraq and to work cooperatively with Iraq:
Case Closed, The Weekly Standard, November 03
CBS - Lawsuit: Iraq involved in 9/11:
Exploring Iraq's Involvement in pre-9/11 Acts, The Indianapolis Star:
The Iraq/AQ Connection: Richard Minister again
Militia Defector says Baghdad trained Al Qaeda fighters in chemical weapons, July 2002
The Clinton View of Iraq/AQ Ties, The Weekly Standard, December 2003
Saddam Controlled the Camps (Iraq/AQ Ties): The London Observer, November 01
Saddam's Terror Ties that Critics Ignore, National Review, October 2003:
Tape Shows General Wesley Clark linking Iraq and AQ:
The Missing Link (What the Senate Ingelligence Report Said about Iraq/AQ Connections)
Credit to Peach for the above info.
Credit to joesbucks for the following links:
Dozens of links here:
Just a few of those links include:
The Clinton Justice Department's indictment against OBL in federal court which mentions the terrorist's connections to Iraq. November 4, 1998. The federal indictment:
Iraq and AQ agree to cooperate. The federal indictment against OBL working in concert with Iraq and Iran is mentioned. November 1998. The New York Times
Saddam reaching out to OBL January 1, 1999. Newsweek
ABC news reports on the Osama/Saddam connections January 14, 1999. ABC News
Western Nightmare: Saddam and OBL versus the World. Iraq recruited OBL. February 6, 1999. The Guardian
Saddam's Link to OBL February 6, 1999. The Guardian
Saddam offered asylum to bin Laden February 13, 1999. AP
Video coverage from drzz:
Saddam- Al Qaeda VIDEOS library (MUST SEE)
And kabar submitted these two little gems showing Bin Laden supported Iraq and its struggle against the US and the West.
1996 Fatwa: "Declaration of War against the Americans Occupying the Land of the Two Holy Places."
It was Saddam’s operation like most of the attacks on us since. The terrorists of all stripes were merely his pawns.
It’s the pan-arab fascists like Saddam that were are at war with and, if you ask me, their first shot was the RFK assassination.
Yes. And all the members of the Cult of Death have to be escorted right out of this country.
9/5/72
So, why did it take us as a nation so long to figure it out? Why haven't we still figured it out?
Regards,
TS
March 1928 - The Muslim Brotherhood is founded in Egypt.
>>15 Years@War The WTC bombing was radical Islam’s declaration of war against the United States<<
Looking back, we probably should have recognized a war when they assassinated our next President in June of 1968.
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