[spycatcher]

The link on the page is broken. Anyone have the original source for this or a similar article?

[anymouse]

Rense.com is a junk 'news' web site. Why pollute FR with this tin foil crap. Now is not the time to sensationalize on these topics.

[lavaroise]

Another source said U.S. officials believed that the suspect had probably reached the territories by way of Lebanon.

Hear ye hear ye hear ye, it has nothing to do with a Palestinian state covert protection of terrorists, but Lebanon.... (sarcasm)

[freefly]

May be true, may not.
Certainly possible.

[Cachelot]

The link on the page is broken

Jeff? Rense is broken. He broke his mind a long time ago, falling off an UFO.

[MississippiMan]

Remember not to have a disproportionate response to this silly little incident, Israel. Show restraint. We're busy building a coalition with these folk and don't need you mucking it up.

/SARCASM

MM

[HoweverComma]

Jeff Rense: also known as Art Bell Lite. Same tinfoil flavor, with only half the talent!

[12B]

I don't really care what kind of complex firing sequence is required. If the guy caps a half pound of TNT next to the thing it will explode and cause a certain amount of fallout.

[Have Ruck - Will Travel]

Heads Up

Ruck

[Kevin Curry]

Wow. A confirmed instance of a terrorist armed with a dirty nuke. This is ratcheting matters up a notch.

[Cogadh na Sith]

OMIGOSH that's horrible!

Incred---*? Oh, wait.... Jeff Rense?

Nevermind...

[Stefan Stackhouse]

Backpack bombs were designed for Russian Spetznaz special forces and have such an intricate and complex system of activation that the ability of a terrorist to detonate one would be incredibly limited, according to one U.S. government official. "There is such a complicated sequence you have to perform that some terrorist isn't going to be able to get it to work. You have to be very highly trained," an intelligence official agreed, describing the chances that the device could have been activated as "practically miniscule."

If this were true, the terrorists would just disassemble the bomb and rebuild it using less complicated control mechanisms. Given the number of Arabs & Pakistanis who have studied in the USA and earned graduate degrees in engineering, this is not beyond their capabilities. We are not talking about an implosion-type fission bomb here (which is VERY difficult to do just right), but rather a simple explosive surrounded by radioactive material.

I'm not sure if it is the case that these "officials" think we are all idiots, or if THEY are all idiots, but neither one is a particularly comforting thought.

[texasbluebell]

From the UPI story (since people are questioning Rense!):

But former CIA counter-terrorism official Vince Cannistraro has no patience with such accounts: "All talk of bin Laden having a nuclear suitcase bomb is crap," he said.

So we've even got these anti-tinfoil types in the CIA. At least he's a "former" CIA official...

[KansasConservative1]

"radiological backpack bomb."

What exactly does this do?, screen all the enemy for breast cancer?

fun aside, what is a radiological bomb?

[imperator2]

I suggest that any Moslem Arab in this country who works in a radiotherapy department in this country should be removed, and that the supply of cobalt and radium be examined. They can readily contaminate a wide area.

[philman_36]

"There is such a complicated sequence you have to perform that some terrorist isn't going to be able to get it to work. You have to be very highly trained," an intelligence official agreed, describing the chances that the device could have been activated as "practically miniscule."
This pontificating ass seems to forget that terrorists learned to fly an advanced commercial aircraft which required a high level of training too! I do believe they went to the most up to date schools in our nation for that training.
Does he propose that training could not be obtained for that device too? While it may not have been in our nation where that training occurred, I'm sure someone out there has the werewithall to give that training and the finances for payment were available for quite some time.
"Intelligence official" seems to be the newest oxymoron of the day.
Simply incredible!

[lepton]

"There is such a complicated sequence you have to perform that some terrorist isn't going to be able to get it to work. You have to be very highly trained," an intelligence official agreed, describing the chances that the device could have been activated as "practically miniscule."

Maybe for a suitcase nuke, but if it has conventional explosives, then that is not so hard to set off...just put a grenade or other bomb next to it.