How the plotters slipped US net

The Guardian UK ^ | Thursday September 27, 2001 | Duncan Campbell

[MissAmericanPie]

Now that would be something, us scouring the country side for him in Afghanistan and him in Florida hugging Micky Mouse at Disney World.

[Betty Jo]

gracey,Thanks for the url above!

Ya gotta go deeper, though! Type in "Mahfouz"+Worldspace"

Mahfouz and Alamoudi are partners in "Worldstar" too!

To summarize:Bin Laden is into all the cyber-satellite-phone mechanism that the worlds wealthiest people can buy to kill us all!

That is why everyone in DC is looking and sounding soooo dogggy!

[upchuck]

widely quoted newspaper report had claimed that bin Laden's followers were operating a communications network based on encrypted messages concealed inside pornographic pictures.

OBL's assistant, "WOW, look at those tits!!"

OBL, [SCOWL]

OBL's assistant, "Oh, sorry boss. Here's the latest encrypted message."

LOL

[Gracey]

I checked it out. And I thought all these Arab Islamics were more interested in Allah and praying 5 times a day.

My goodness. They're not nice people. We're in for a long long period of unrest.

[Stefan Stackhouse]

In December 1999, the US government abandoned controls on the use of "strong encryption". It was also forced, on commercial grounds, to follow European countries and abandon the demand that encryption be illegal unless escrowed.

Every single story like this seems to include mention of some stupid thing that the US could have done but didn't do or stopped doing sometime between 1993 and 2000. You would think that someone might eventually recognize the significance of those dates.

[Travis McGee]

Low tech works. Like Fred says, "the plan to hijack a supertanker could be hatched by three guys on a park bench".

Never forget that the WTC was brought down by box cutter knives.

[StealthChild]

"Is that how our 'codes' were stolen by terrorists?"

No...they were sold to the Chinese, (who undoubtedly, sold or gave them to the Taliban), for campaign money for the Democratic party by our former president, Uncle Wee Wee.

[Vigilanteman]

In a public statement this week, Zimmermann accused the Post of serious misrepresentation in publishing things he never said.

Isn't that just like the Washington ComPost to blame the inventor of encryption technology instead of the terrorists? Much like blaming the gun instead of the killer, they could just as well blame the $7/hour flunkies who let them through airport security.

[StealthChild]

If you haven't already read it, see Freeper Alamo Girl's story on the Bin Laden/Democratic party connection to Iridium:

Clinton's Rogue Gallery

Be prepared to be thoroughly sickened by the actions of our government.

[Ann Archy]

yikes

[Betty Jo]

Thanks for posting this!

[freefly]

As you (and Fred) said, low tech works.
It works for terrorists.
It works for soldiers.
It will work for the alphabet agencies.
Running informers, doing stakeouts, following leads, investigating suspects,
and all the other un-sexy forms of POLICE work is what works.
As we have seen in the last few weeks, the good guys CAN do a lot if
they get off their butts and do some good police work.
If they had done it a few weeks earlier (like when the Israelis warned the CIA
about the 200 man terrorist cell) this MIGHT have been prevented.
Going the other direction, the "purely technical approach", will not prevent another similar strike.
Besides, like Zimmermann said,
"If we install blanket surveillance systems, it will mean the terrorists have won.
The terrorists will have cost us our freedom."