US Al-Qaida's Brooklyn Bridge plot

Guardian ^ | 6/20/03 | David Teather in New York

[kattracks]

A truck driver who became an American citizen three years ago has admitted his involvement in an al-Qaida terrorist plot to destroy the Brooklyn Bridge in New York.

Kashmiri-born Iyman Faris was ordered by leaders of the terrorist network to get hold of equipment to cut the cables of the bridge, according to documents unsealed in Washington yesterday.

Faris, who lives in Columbus, Ohio, pleaded guilty to two criminal charges of providing material support to terrorists and conspiracy to provide support.

According to his affidavit, Faris attended a series of meetings with senior al-Qaida figures between 2000 and 2002 in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

He researched the bridge on the internet and travelled to New York late last year to examine it, concluding that the plot to sever the cables was unlikely to succeed because of the structure and heavy security.

Faris, 34, sent a message to al-Qaida leaders saying: "The weather is too hot."

He was also told to obtain tools that could be used to derail trains. In coded messages, the tools were referred to as "mechanics shops".

The US attorney general John Ashcroft said: "This case highlights the very real threats that still exist here."

Faris could face 20 years in prison and a $500,000 fine.

[Cindy]

US DOJ.gov - Press Release: "OHIO TRUCK DRIVER PLEADS GUILTY TO PROVIDING MATERIAL SUPPORT TO AL QAEDA" (PRESS RELEASE SNIPPET: "WASHINGTON, D.C. - Attorney General John Ashcroft, FBI Director Robert Mueller, Acting Assistant Attorney General Christopher Wray of the Criminal Division and U.S. Attorneys Greg Lockhart of the Southern District of Ohio and Paul McNulty of the Eastern District of Virginia announced today that an Ohio truck driver has pleaded guilty to providing material support and resources to al Qaeda and conspiracy for providing the terrorist organization with information about possible U.S. targets for attack. Iyman Faris, a/k/a Mohammad Rauf, 34, of Columbus, Ohio, was charged in a two-count criminal information filed under seal in the U.S. District Court in Alexandria, Virginia, on May 1, 2003. Faris pleaded guilty to the charges in the criminal information on the same day. The charges and plea agreement were unsealed today. Faris, a naturalized U.S. citizen who was born in Kashmir, faces a maximum of 20 years in prison and fines of up to $500,000 at his sentencing, currently scheduled for Aug. 1, 2003. In court documents accompanying the plea agreement, Faris admitted casing a New York City bridge for al Qaeda, and researching and providing information to al Qaeda regarding the tools necessary for possible attacks on U.S. targets.") (June 19, 2003) (Read More...)

[Susannah]

This actually did get reported in the mainstream news! I saw it on tv, I only have basic reception.

Now, will the democrat idiots in New York say, "thank you President Bush and administration for protecting us from another disaster"?


Hmmm, how many terrorists were in mostly Democrat states?

[Susannah]

According to the tv reports, this guy was taken by the FBI and questioned without the usual legal processes. I'm just waiting to see how many lawyers or civil liberties groups are willing to cry foul on this. ;)

[eno_]

He was also told to obtain tools that could be used to derail trains. In coded messages, the tools were referred to as "mechanics shops".

Nevertheless, you should listen to the usual gang of shills that said the spate of derailments after 9/11 were pure coincidence.

[CJ Wolf]

'Faris could face 20 years in prison and a $500,000 fine.'

Is that all?

[ko_kyi]

He perjured himself at his citizenship swearing-in. He ought to have it revoked and get a permanent vacation in GITMO.

[CJ Wolf]

he ought to hang from the Brooklyn Bridge.

[finnman69]

I doubt you could cut those cables by even flying an aircraft into them.

http://www.endex.com/gf/buildings/bbridge/bbridgefacts.htm

Suspension Cables - four 15 3/4" diameter wire ropes.
Number of Strands in each cable - 19 (JSG)
Total Length of Wire in cables - approximately 3600 miles (JSG)
Miles of wrapping wire on each cable - 243 miles 943 feet (JSG)

Number of Suspenders - 1520 (JSG)
Number of Diagonal Stays - 400 (JSG)

Inventor and manufacturer of steel wire cable - John A. Roebling
Tested cable wire strength - 160 ksi
Dead weight of deck and suspenders - 13,240 kips - 3,410 kips per cable.
Maximum load on single cable (Live and Dead Load) - 6,000 kips

Ultimate strength of cables - 24,600 kips
Cable factor of safety - 24,600/6,000 = 4.1
Maximum cable sag - 130 feet

[theFIRMbss]

>I doubt you could cut those cables by even flying an aircraft into them.

A few years ago,
I would have said the same thing
about skyscrapers...

Don't forget, these scum
were trained by the CIA
when Russia was bad.

I'm sure black-ops types
have lots of creative ways
to knock down tough things...

[TBall]

"Nevertheless, you should listen to the usual gang of shills that said the spate of derailments after 9/11 were pure coincidence." I made a similar point yesterday and I quickly received a reply basically saying that I lacked sufficient brain capacity to figure out that derailments were normal occurrences.

[finnman69]

Perhaps. But Remember. The exterior columns at the WTC were really hollow steel tubes. The steel in these cables is 16" thick and far more flexible and capable of distributing load.

Something could probably get through it, what I can't posibly imagine.

[theFIRMbss]

>Something could probably get through it, what I can't posibly imagine

As I remember,
the WTC buildings fell
because the high floors

"pancaked" down onto
themselves. The building's design
was used against it...

When terrorists (or
special ops types) do a bridge,
I imagine they

find some devious
way to use the bridge's strength
in a bizarre way.

[Freedom of Speech Wins]

Thought Ohio was a Republican state. A lot of the terrorists were in Florida some too, a Republican state.
Believe the Democrats have loosened the rules for immigrants in an effort to gain votes over the years. The Democrats have let the Muslims in. But Bush is letting them in too, eg. an INS head approved Attah and Hanjour a year after they were dead from 9/11 and noone in charge has the courage to do what is right and to fire the INS guy. Bush and Ashcroft are clamping down some at least. But the bad guys are in Republican and Democrat states apparently.

[eno_]

An amusing ezercise would be to lure and entrap one of the FR shills. I'm sure FR gets "astroturfed" by various opinion-shaping outfits for public and private causes. It would be cool to ruin at least one of these shill's career.

[theFIRMbss]

>I'm sure FR gets "astroturfed" by various opinion-shaping outfits for public and private causes.

Hmmm. That's just the kind
of comment a trend-monger
would make to deflect

attention from him...
(Of course, my pointing fingers
makes me suspicious...)