Senior U.S. officials say intelligence "chatter" suggests terrorists plotting major US attack

CNN ^ | 5-20-03

[dogbyte12]

CNN flashing alert. More details to follow. Could be a drudge like siren, or series. CNN thinks this one is serious.

[judicial meanz]

let me clean that up a bit...it didnt post right!

"There's nothing "I" can do, except pray for divine internvention."

"Ahem. There's plenty that ordinary people can do to help secure America, even just on evenings and weekends... Examples follow."

Excellent response! Here is another example of something people can do: http://www.sgaus.org

[Lunatic Fringe]

The message was sent to police agencies nationwide on a secure telecommunications system

Why? They could have just waited for CNN to announce it

[tracer]

Word has it that they posted the pic of Hillary!! to make it easier to give up sex for Ramadan.....

[tracer]

Silly FReeper. Have you ever seen a TV in a Dunkin Donuts shop?

[CedarDave]

Just heard on ABC that the US sealed off the Canadian border...

to cows and meat due to a case of Mad Cow disease. Wish they'd take similar border precautions (on both the north and south borders) for other serious threats to America's security, but it may be PC to target only four-legged critters.

[tracer]

"Lots of high school and college graduations in the next few weeks..."

No wonder the Dems aren't worried....

[Chemist_Geek]

I don't intend to disparage prayer for our nation and its leaders. Far from it.

However, everyone needs to know that there are opportunities to serve and they are convenient, no matter what shape one's in or where one is or what one's skills are.

[tracer]

"Wish they'd take similar border precautions (on both the north and south borders) for other serious threats to America's security, but it may be PC to target only four-legged critters."

I have a plan to get around the PC concerns-- we start eating illegals and then ban their "importation" on the basis of their carraiage of TB, hepatitis, and STDs....

[abraxas_sandiego]

keep in mind that the dollar has been weakening...george soros announced he is selling dollars...maybe i have a tinfoil hat on, but a major terrorist attack would seem to be part of an effort to destroy the us economy, which is the source of our military superiority.

[Eva]

Remember the Middle Easterners who stopped in Plymouth Meeting, PA (I think on Ridge Pike)in the days after 9/11 who had detailed video footage of the Sears tower?

[bigcheese]

sick bestids!

[Donna Lee Nardo]

I would love to have access to what secret info gave bin Sultan his "gut" feeling...

[BlueNgold]

You need less time watching Buchanen and O'Reilly.

I find it absolutely amazing that in 19 months in a known hostile environment with terrorists and sypathizers known to be in our country and yet unable to act some of you out there still yammer on about security being taken less than seriously. Weekly arrests and captures both at home and abroad. No major attacks, or even minor ones, inside the U.S. And yet, our security is lapsed and we are all hanging like a pinata in the wind. Wake the heck up. These people HATE us and if we were as easy to target as most of you say we would be barraged so sontantly and so badly we'd think we were living on the West Bank.

I'm not saying everything is perfect and that we shouldnt be vigilant, I'm saying that instead of ridiculing the security and alert system maybe you should stop and look at the good that has come from it.

[Iris7]

This stuff is based on what is known as "traffic analysis". Traffic analysis is a high art as well as science. Very, very few people have any talent for it. A comparison would be "criminal profiling". The D.C. snipers, Muhammad and Malvo, were totally missed by the "best FBI profilers". The FBI's traffic analysis is probably equally clumsy.

[Spook86]

I think this move is largely precautionary, although it certainly makes sense in light of the recent attacks in Morocco and Saudi Arabia.

I'm not fully convinced that Al Qaeda is capable of mounting a major attack in the U.S. Their organization has been hammered by the war in Afghanistan, and the arrest of a number of senior operatives over the past year. Al Qaeda, as an organization, is still in the rebuilding mode.

And that raises an important point that most commentators are missing. With only one major success since 9/11 (the Bali bombing), Al Qaeda had to prove that it's still a viable organization. To achieve that, they're going after the "low hanging" fruit in the terrorist orchard, hitting soft targets in countries where security is lax to non-existent.

The good news here is that Al Qaeda doesn't appear ready to stage another "spectacular"--at least not yet. Those strikes require extensive planning and preparation. With many of their senior guys dead or in jail, that's become a more difficult proposition. Al Qaeda also seems concerned with the long lead time needed to plan those ops. The more time spent planning, the great the chances of being detected by U.S. intelligence.

the bad news? Security is too lax in too many countries, so there are literally hundreds of potential targets. And Al Qaeda can make a living off those attacks, rebuilding its ranks and preparing for the next big one.

[mitchbert]

CNN just announced Pataki to speak live at 4:15ET.

[IFly4Him]

I would start searching trucks entering major cities on bridges. Keep an eye out for the tunnels in NYC - very vulnerable!!!

[LayoutGuru2]

Vera Katz extends a new welcome mat for the city of Portland

Portland, Oregon? No worries here!

[Angelus Errare]

You forget the Moscow hostage seige as well as Mombasa. Had they shot down that plane, we'd be looking at ~200 dead.

[INSENSITIVE GUY]

Intellegence chatter!Don't worry about it!