Bin Laden plan known since 1995: report

AFP ^ | Dec. 8, 2001 | AFP

[codeword]

AFP - Western secret services knew as far back as 1995 that suspected terror mastermind Osama bin Laden planned to attack civilian sites using commercial passenger planes, German newspaper Die Welt said.

Quoting sources close to western intelligence services, Die Welt said authorities did not take seriously the threat of the plan, known as Project Bojinka.

The plan was discovered in January 1995 by Philippine police who were investigating a possible attack against Pope John Paul II on a visit to Manila.

They found details of the plan in a computer seized in an apartment used by three men who were part of bin Laden's al-Qaeda network.

It provided for 11 planes to be exploded simultaneously by bombs placed on board, but also in an alternative form for several planes flying to the United States to be hijacked and flown into civilian targets.

Among targets mentioned was the World Trade Centre in New York, which was destroyed in the September 11 terror attacks in the United States that killed thousands.

Other targets mentioned were CIA offices in Virginia and the Sears Tower in Chicago, Die Welt said.

The plot re-surfaced during the trial in New York in 1997 of Pakistani Ramsi Youssef, the mastermind of the attack on the World Trade Centre in 1993.

[codeword]

We pay $30 billion a year into a "black budget" for the CIA. Yet the US "intelligence community" seems incapable of getting its act together. Shouldn't we get more bang for our buck than this?

[lavaroise]

Something does not compute, obviously. We did try to get some airline security legislation done, but that was blocked by Gore and the airlines.

[The Duke]

Wha!? - you expect our bureaucrats to be COMPETENT! That's a bit optimistic I would say!

[True Capitalist]

They found details of the plan in a computer seized in an apartment used by three men who were part of bin Laden's al-Qaeda network

The computer seized by Philippine police was that of 19993 WTC bomber Ramzi Yousef, who got to watch his dream of destroying the WTC become reality from a luxury prison cell (complete with TV) in Colorado.

[BillofRights]

Yeah, $30 billion a year for 8 years of Clinton and 1 year of Bush -- let's see, that's uh, 270-billion-effing-dollars and our effing government didn't know any more about the attacks on America than I did. Hell, I coulda saved the taxpayers all kindsa money. They could have hired me for 1% of that and had the same exact outcome.

[codeword]

Did you really have to add it up like that? Now I'm really depressed. :(

[Gracey]

We pay $30 billion a year into a "black budget" for the CIA.

After 9.11, I did some mental computing and figured the number we taxpayers pay to keep us secure, from harm, is closer to $100 Billion annually.

Let's say your correct assuming $30B for the CIA (It's low IMO). Then there's some number greater than $30 B for the FBI (guess). How about the NSA? Can we throw in another $5-7B. And how about all the security portions of the Army, Navy, AF, Marines, etc., and we might get close to $100B.

Anyone with better numbers out there?

IMO, the Federal Government's first and foremost responsibility is to keep it's citizens safe and secure from enemies. For $100B/Annual budget, failing is an understatement.

[dandelion]

It had nothing to do with a failure of intelligence - the information was gathered and presented to the Clinton Administration, therefore intelligence did it's job. This information was KNOWN to the clinton administration: the failure to act on this is a deliberate act of corruption and treason by that most treasonous of man - William Jefferson Clinton.

[Gracey]

Mr. Clinton did not find out all by himself. I wonder which agency fed him the data and did they feed the same data to the new administration?

[codeword]

Yep. One of the first things that happens to a new Pres is a briefing by the CIA.

[manumission]

This is old news reported here Sep 23 2001 Rense.com

[68-69TonkinGulfYachtClub]

"Clinton did not find out all by himself."

What about all the members of the Senate Intelligence Committee.
They control the funding and are privy to all the info.
Every member, of both political parties on this committee, are as guilty as Clinton.
Sadly it has been a Republican controlled committee until this year.

[Benjamin Dover]

I don't like what happened any better than you but blaming the CIA is dumb. There are 280,000,000 people in America alone and countless billions worldwide. You expect the CIA to know everything about everybody at all times. There are thousands and thousands of leads that lead to nothing. I wonder how many crimes were averted because the CIA was there. Yeah mistakes were made but if some informant told you before hand that a bunch of militant Pakastanis/Afghanis/Indian/Sudanese/Iraqi/Irani etc... were going to board commercial airliners simultaneously one morning carrying boxcutters and would takeover flights and fly these planes into buildings, you would have laughed. What would you do? Shut down the airlines on a wild rumor? Call for stricter searchs? That happens EVERY day based on some information the CIA or FBI has. It's only news if a punk gets through and commits a crime.

Had the terrorists done something else, you would be complaining that we wasted money chasing a lead about airplanes that everybody knew was a far fetched unworkable scheme. You sound like the Democrats. You want the government to be the know all, do all entity that must protect us from everything. Then, you'll whine that Big Brother is taking over. "I want guaranteed safety from any possible threat, but I don't want the government too intrusive." Remember, the FBI and CIA don't share info. Bush has changed that.

If you want to start blamimg somebody, start with Congress. Look at the INS. Look at laws that coddle and encourage illegals to enter our country and then figure ways to help them vote. Also remember Clinton and most Dems hate the CIA and FBI. They put so many handcuffs on them, it's astounding they are as effective as they are. I for one am happy our intelligence is as good as it is. It will only get better with Bush around. When you leave the front and back door wide open with plates of food on the floor, expect a few wild animals to get in eventually.

[codeword]

You sound like the Democrats. You want the government to be the know all, do all entity that must protect us from everything. Then, you'll whine that Big Brother is taking over. "I want guaranteed safety from any possible threat, but I don't want the government too intrusive."

Did I say all that?

[Gracey]

What about all the members of the Senate Intelligence Committee.

Excellent point...thanks for jarring our memories. We've heard several times that the airlines were asked to come up with better security measures but because of increased costs, lobbied our "officials." I would believe there's truth to this for the FAA attorney talked about it many years ago and I thought she was just a blabber mouth. This was after the TWA 800 downing.

[68-69TonkinGulfYachtClub]

"thanks for jarring our memories"

I only bring up Congress, to remind us all that even though Clinton is gone,
those members of Congress, in BOTH parties, (and Republicans held the majority of the Senate for most of the crimes)
that aided in his crimes are still there doing the same harm to our country.
It's time to start cleaning house in the '02 elections.
A Democrat OR Republican Traitor is still a Traitor.

[Gracey]

But it's not easy to find out which Senator knew what, is it?

[68-69TonkinGulfYachtClub]

"But it's not easy to find out which Senator knew what, is it

True, we will never know for certain.
So lets start with every single Senator that voted AGAINST conviction of impeachment.
We DO know who all those are.

[Free Vulcan]

Ironically, Al Queda got the idea from the trial itself. One of the experts testified that the '93 bomb had no chance of destroying the towers, that it would actually take something along the lines of a jetliner full of fuel to do so.

Also heard that the '93 plot was designed to topple the towers over and not down, they had hoped to kill as many as 250,000 people.