Fears al-Qaeda plotting new attack in US

Sydney Morning Herald ^ | May 21 2003 | Peter Finn in Riyadh

[dead]

An al-Qaeda cell believed to have fled Saudi Arabia for the United States or Europe shortly before the recent Riyadh bombings has sparked fears of an imminent attack on American soil.

A high volume of "chatter" - intelligence intercepts - has intensified fears of new attacks and is close to the level of communications intercepted before the strikes against the Riyadh compounds, a high-ranking Saudi official said.

The unnamed official said there had been at least three al-Qaeda cells with about 50 hard-core operatives in the kingdom before the bombings. He acknowledged that there was a much wider circle of sympathisers and US officials broadly agreed with his analysis.

"We don't believe there are tens of thousands of active al-Qaeda members here, but we believe the al-Qaeda presence is more than a single cell or two cells," a senior US official said yesterday.

Saudi sources described the threat of further attacks in the US or Saudi Arabia as "very serious".

"I think they were looking to do something more major than [the Riyadh bombings]," Prince Bandar bin Sultan, Saudi Arabia's ambassador to Washington, said on Monday.

About 377 kilograms of explosives was discovered at a safe house raided near one of the compounds a week before the attacks. The Interior Ministry said at the time it was hunting 19 men in connection with the weapons cache.

"That would have taken out two blocks in the city if it had gone off accidentally. We're all wondering if it's the last [of the explosives] or is it the tip of the iceberg," Prince bin Sultan said.

The warning came as a large explosion rocked a cafe in the centre of Turkey's capital, Ankara, early yesterday, killing one person. The cause of the blast was not immediately clear. Charred metal and glass were strewn across the road outside the three-storey cafe, located in the city's main commercial district of Kizilay.

Several guerilla groups, including leftist militants and Kurdish rebels, have carried out attacks on civilian targets in Turkey during recent years.

But explosions also frequently occur due to faulty gas and electricity systems.

In Morocco, the Justice Minister, Mohamed Bouzoubaa, said on Monday that no link had been established between al-Qaeda and last week's suicide bombings in Casablanca that killed 41 people. In the United States, the last of the "Lackawanna Six" alleged terrorist cell pleaded guilty on Monday to providing "material support" to al-Qaeda, closing the case against the six US citizens - without any defendant standing trial or the Government having to prove that the men were part of a sleeper cell.

Instead, Mukhtar al-Bakri, 23, merely acknowledged in court that al-Qaeda instructors in Afghanistan had trained him to wage war against America and Israel, the Los Angeles Times said.

Facing a lengthy prison sentence if convicted at trial, al-Bakri, like his five comrades, chose to plead guilty to a single offence in the hope of serving less than 10 years. In return, he will co-operate in identifying al-Qaeda recruiters and other terrorist operatives.

[sarasota]

I was pretty tense the first time I flew after 9.11 but I had my daughter with me so I got in costume and played my "role". I did, however, really scope out all the passengers--no suspicious looking characters. Have flown a number of times since and it's getting easier.

[spectre]

"Doesn't Homeland Security designate red, not orange, for an "imminent" threat?"

Looks as tho the "red alert" will mean that an attack has already happened and to expect another on it's heels..JMO.

sw

[Dog]

News Conference from Asa Hutchinson.....about raising the threat level.....about to start.

[Angelus Errare]

Remember Adnan al-Shukrijumah and Mohammed Sher Mohammed Khan.

Last time I checked, those two were still at large.

[Dog]

We don't want to ever go to RED.

Everything gets locked down....imagine 9/11.... no planes.... no car travel....everything gets locked down.

[L,TOWM]

What occurred to me was the look of about 30 race cars strung out along, say, a 2.5 mile long oval track. Not that I will be watching in person or anything, but still, a lot of people in one area and probably easy to get at with some low flying private planes (rented or leased).

[Dog]

Fox News blows the story of the day.....Shep does a fuff piece with Ari as Asa Hutchinson explains raising the threat level..

[mewzilla]

IMHO Hutchinson didn't say much that was newsworthy. SSDD really, though it sounds as though they're more concerned about overseas attacks than anything over here. NY's Gov. Pataki is going to have a press conference at 4:15 pm EDT.

[Dog]

All it would take to tank the stock market is one well place truck bomb. Don't discount that lone AQ type here.

[SouthParkRepublican]

The serpent is Satan (the Great Satan aka western world). What they are saying is that they will strike at the tail (ass) of the US. I’m guessing San Francisco is the ass.

[Mears]

You are absolutely right!

[lasereye]

I grew up in NJ. I wonder what would happen if one of the oil tanks blew on refinery row on the Turnpike. If I was in charge of Homeland Security, I'd be looking at refineries.

[dark_lord]

Or at least the rectum.

[We Happy Few]

"We don't want to ever go to RED. Everything gets locked down....imagine 9/11.... no planes.... no car travel....everything gets locked down."

Yes, 9/11 surely was a code red day. But Homeland Security must envision something on a smaller scale that still would justify red.

Near the end of the sniper shootings last fall, greater Washington was in something like a code red: Enormous show of uniformed police, road blocks, checkpoints on the interstate with SWAT teams, helicopters, unmanned spy planes, no people lingering in public places.