In Overheard Calls, Terrorists Spoke of Major Attack, Officials Say

New York Times ^ | 11/02/01 | JAMES RISEN and DAVID JOHNSTON

[kattracks]

ASHINGTON, Nov. 1 — Government officials intercepted telephone conversations in recent days in which members of Osama bin Laden's terrorist network, Al Qaeda, spoke urgently of an imminent attack against American targets even larger than the Sept. 11 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, senior government officials say.

Intelligence reports based on the intercepted communications frightened the officials who read them and played a decisive role in the Bush administration's decision to issue its latest warning Monday of an imminent terrorist attack, the senior officials said.

Al Qaeda intercepts were interpreted as extraordinarily clear signals of potential danger in part because of the urgent and serious tone of the conversations. Officials said the terrorist operatives were overheard talking about an operation that would be even bigger than the Sept. 11 hijackings. Officials said they intercepted several of these conversations between Al Qaeda members in several countries.

Counterterrorism analysts at the C.I.A. and F.B.I. who reviewed the intercepts judged their credibility to be high also because they determined that the participants believed no one was eavesdropping on their discussions, the officials added.

The reports, supported by other intelligence, were rushed to President Bush and his national security aides on Monday morning. Senior national security officials were quickly persuaded that the potential threat was grave. But the debate at the White House over whether to issue an alert lasted several hours. Some counterterrorism officials expressed strong disagreement with issuing another nonspecific alert like the warning issued on Oct. 10.

When the administration issued the public warning of another attack on Monday, senior members of Congress criticized the decision, saying it raised fears among Americans without providing any specific information that would allow the nation to prepare. But the administration said the intercepts were so worrying that they had little choice.

Officials who have seen the intelligence reports said they raised greater concerns than did the intelligence that prompted the Oct. 10 warning. The latest intercepts indicated that Al Qaeda operatives were talking about a big event and discussed a specific time frame for action, prompting the government to warn of a terrorist attack within the week.

The intercepted communications did not provide specific clues about where the attacks might come, and the intelligence did not indicate whether the terrorists were planning actions inside the United States or against American interests overseas. The reports also did not even suggest the nature of the plot or the methods, officials said.

Tom Ridge, director of homeland security; George Tenet, director of central intelligence; Robert S. Mueller III, the F.B.I. director; and Attorney General John Ashcroft were each advised of the threat soon after the intelligence was collected. The information, along with sanitized but still secret summaries, was described in secret briefings for a few top lawmakers, officials said.

Throughout Monday, the government's still evolving threat-assessment network worked to reach a consensus on whether to issue a new alert — knowing that the Oct. 10 warning was criticized by lawmakers and state and local authorities for spreading fear without offering any information about where or how terrorists might strike.

As a result, some senior officials at the Federal Bureau of Investigation were reluctant to recommend issuing a second warning on Monday. But Mr. Ashcroft and other senior administration officials were persuaded that the threat was too significant to be ignored. In the end, the White House said it was Mr. Bush who made the decision to issue the threat warning, the officials said.

Officials also said they hoped the warning would persuade state and local authorities to increase their vigilance. They added that they had believed an attack was imminent when they issued the Oct. 10th warning, but that it was delayed or prevented, possibly as a result of the arrests and detentions of suspected Al Qaeda operatives in the United States and overseas.

Frustration by state and local officials about the vague nature of the warnings on both Oct. 10 and Monday may help explain the F.B.I.'s decision to issue a more specific warning that terrorists were planning rush- hour attacks against four California bridges, possibly as early as Friday. Senior officials added, however, that they found the intelligence behind that threat less credible than the intelligence leading to the national warning issued on Monday.

Gov. Gray Davis of California, who announced the threat warning this afternoon, said law enforcement officials believed that the Golden Gate Bridge or Bay Bridge, both in San Francisco, the Vincent Thomas Bridge at the Port of Los Angeles or the Coronado Bridge in San Diego were all potential targets.

While the intelligence that prompted Monday's warning was general, officials have scrambled to respond to potential vulnerabilities. Aviation authorities have barred flights over nuclear power plants and have created a no-fly zone in the vicinity of buildings thought to be potential targets, like the Sears Tower in Chicago.

[d4now]

Say some prayers, man. This ain't all there is.

Amen to that.

[boycott]

Where is this Democrat that's going to step up?

This is an issue that the Democrats have to take the leadership role on. Why doesn't Hillary ask for this? The ragheads must go NOW!!!

[onyx]

Bravo and ditto!

[mercy]

That was good advice. Thanks.

I never post in all caps unless I wish to scream. Well I'm screaming. There is no sane, rational excuse or reason to allow America to be terrorized by ragheads running free amoung us. Add to the madness the fact that they are pouring in by the hundreds, at least, per week and the resulting equation is one I cannot accept. I can not support a president and an administration that continues such high treasonous behaviour.

[ken21]

people wouldn't tolerate another attack on this country.

[lawdude]

Your intelligence and common sense are all FU'd.

[Gadsden1st]

Fry the idiots inside their caves with neutron bombs, and then walk in there like Captain Marvel, pick up the papers and computer disks,

I have been promoting this idea for weeks and all you will get back is that you are a nut case and if we use even one nuke all the babies in the world will die.

[mercy]

It won't be Hitlery. Not a woman in time of war, if ever. I admit that I have gone over the edge. I just don't know what else to do. This is madness. I am sick unto death. The world makes no more sense. Riots can not be far off.

[theirjustdue]

"I am losing it."

Agreed!! Give yourself a Slap and get a grip on things.

This could get worse before it gets better, no matter who is in the Whitehouse. That's why it's called war!

[Kozak]

You are absolutely correct HUMINT is better than SIGINT

Yeah? Tell that to the Alliance leader who got hung then shot. Paki ISI set him up with HUMINT. We're not good at that game, these pricks have been lying to each other for 2 thousand years.

[anniegetyourgun]

Democrats....lead? Brings to mind the old adage of being unable to find a way out of a wet paper bag.....

[Patriotic Rich]

Geez, you're coming unglued!

[Newbomb Turk]

I can't think of one Democrat that could hold a candle to PRESIDENT BUSH! If you think you can please name one. Democratic administration is what has gotten us in this mess to begin with. Slick willie didn't do one damn thing about terrorism for 8 years he was busy getting a blow job in the oval office. Speaking from my position as a military member I thank god every day since 9-11 that Gore is not my commander in cheif.

[anniegetyourgun]

Get a grip man. I recommend you cry out for your own mercy in order to receive peace - the kind that passes all understanding.

[I'm ALL Right!]

Hitlary and Gore in 2004!!!????????

[takenoprisoner]

It's difficult to determine what we are doing in the background. I assume we are doing undisclosed deeds. We only see clips of the dirt bombings in Afganistan. And we hear of thousands of arrests or detainees both here and abroad.

Meantime, Bush and Blair insist that we are not at war with Islam. Yet I haven't witnessed any leader of any Islamic country say we aren't...and their silence is deafening.

I get it. Many here get it. Many all about get it. We can only pray that Bush and Blair have or will get it. Perhaps they do and are somehow still in denial. Or maybe they are just playing a game of cat and mouse. Yet, I fear they are in denial.

Yes, we can end terrorism, and all these so called overheard threats of terrorism. But we will not do it by bombing dirt in Afghanistan. What it will take is a redneck with brass balls...and unfortunately, of those don't stand a chance of ever getting elected.

If we don't handle this proper, we could end up like Israel, where terrorism(murder of innocent men women and children) is a fact of life courtesy of political correctedness.

[XenaLee]

Forget nation building in the aftermath of our retaliation.....I say we move in and take over the whole damned country until we find Bin Laden and until we eliminate any and all of his followers (our enemies). Our borders should be immediately closed to any and all (I believe that has been done on the surface...but not in reality). Past that, I say let the bombing continue. I'm with Reagan when he jokingly said to a live mike 'the bombing starts in ten minutes'.... Peace Lapcat

[riri]

If we don't handle this proper, we could end up like Israel, where terrorism(murder of innocent men women and children) is a fact of life courtesy of political correctedness.

That´s best case scenario if we don´t get our sh$$ together.

[mercy]

I'm ready for it to get worse. A thousand times worse. This sickening quisling PC $hit we are going through is all about 'THEM' trying to not let it get worse. They are trying so hard to not let it get worse that they are sending us down the drain. I WANT it to get worse because untill it gets worse it will not even start to get better. I do not mean I want more attacks to happen here. What I want is for the real war to start. HERE. I want a war on Islamists in America. I want the goddamned gubmint to do what it is SUPPOSED to do. I am not afraid. I've lived long enough. I JUST want to kill the enemy.

[John Jamieson]

A, a month ago.