Al-Qaida nuke bomb threat alleged

msnbc ^ | 4/22/02

[knak]

NBC: Terror network seeks material to explode bomb in U.S.

WASHINGTON, April 22 — A captured key strategist for the al-Qaida network told interrogators Monday that al-Qaida was working to obtain fissionable material for radiation bombs to be exploded in the United States, NBC News has learned. U.S. officials could not confirm the assertions of the strategist, Abu Zubaydah, but said they were taking him at his word.

SOURCES TOLD NBC News that Zubaydah, believed to be one of the top lieutenants of Osama bin Laden, believed to be the mastermind of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in the United States, was cooperating with his interrogators. Officials said they did not know how to evaluate his information but were taking him seriously about bombs.

The officials said they would give Zubaydah’s information about al-Qaida’s quest for fissionable material the same consideration they gave a warning the U.S. government issued to banks Friday.

In that warning, the government said “unsubstantiated information” pointed to a possible terrorist threat against financial institutions. The FBI did not elaborate on that threat, but administration officials told NBC News that Zubaydah had revealed a possible plot to send suicide bombers into banks in the northeastern United States.

In the warning Monday, Zubaydah told U.S. investigators that al-Qaida operatives already had the knowledge to build the bomb, but he did not say that such a weapon had already been delivered to the United States, sources said.

Zubaydah is in U.S. custody at an undisclosed location. He is being treated for gunshot wounds he suffered when he was captured during a raid by Pakistani forces in Faisalabad on March 28.

Court testimony in the United States and in Jordan showed that Zubaydah effectively directed the so-called Millennium Plot, a plan to attack hotels and tourist sites in Jordan and at Los Angeles International Airport on New Year’s Day 2000. He has been sentenced to death in absentia in Jordan.

He is also believed to have directed the deadly bombing of the USS Cole in Yemen in October 2000. Seventeen U.S. sailors were killed in that attack.

[Registered]

That would be the right thing to do, but it will never happen.

[SSN558]

Send the puke back to Jordan. They know what to do.

[shaggy eel]

,,, if you're standing in line at an airport and you talk about bombs they take those comments seriously. I suspect Abu Zabu du-dah is worth detaining a little longer.

[My Favorite Headache]

tens of THOUSANDS? Let's talk hundreds of thousands or a million +

[Senator Pardek]

Idiots - are 100,000 American lives worth 10,000,000 Arabs lives?

[mitchbert]

It's about time we started taking these people at their word, folks.

[inflorida]

Although I hate to say it, probably the only way to get the terrorist's (and Muslim's) attention is through another "Hiroshima" type attack. Unfortunately many more attacks on the U.S. are likely to occur before we do what is necessary to stop these maniacs.

[TheErnFormerlyKnownAsBig]

Why do I see our "doctors" saying

"Mr Zubayda. It's imperative that we get all the bullet fragments out of your wounds. So while you're answering 'Mr. Smith's' questions I will be diggi.. er probing your wounds with this .45 inch dowel".

[ASTM366]

When we capture these Al-Quida guys we need to let them be interrogated by the South Koreans.

There nothing like a South Korean Army interrogation of prisoners.

Very effective.

[Mixer]

Racial Profiling at our airports and closed borders inclduding our shipping ports must begin today!

[Mixer]

<<<<<<<<<< PING >>>>>>>>>>

[El Gato]

Idiots - are 100,000 American lives worth 10,000,000 Arabs lives?

To the ones who would take the 100,000 American lives, yes. After all that's 10,000,000 more martyrs, with 720,000,000 more Virgins, well make that 360,000,000 Vigins, since I don't think the females get 72 virgin studs.

[TLI]

Well, I don't know the validity and I don't care.  Between the quasi-rouge alphabet soup agencies, the inept INS, the mexican population wanting the southwest back and the middle-easterners pulling off terrorist attacks HERE, I ain't waiting for some punk third-worlder to kick me in the ass.  I'm BLOGAAT'n, getting my various areas ready, teaching myself a second language, and keeping two vehicles in good running condition.  The family all knows the three linkup points in case of a "natural disaster."  Also got my medical bag (try almost suitcase!) fully stocked and food supply is in a full two year rotation.  Learned the Y2K two step very well, ain't NOBODY gonna take this good `ol country boy for a ride.  As far as my definition of Homeland Defense.. it starts and the immediate problems will end AT HOME!

There is a lot of security in "The Buck Stops RIGHT Here."

[crystalk]

No, that is only 100 to 1. We can't afford that ratio.

I think it should be 500, 700, or 1000 to one.

[TLI]

that is a LOT of ammo/ordinance