Sources: Terrorists Planning Iraq Attack [Ijaz Transcript]

Fox News ^ | January 14, 2004 | Transcript

[Quilla]

This is the transcript from Brit Hume's interview of Mansoor Ijaz last evening.

[MEG33]

I heard it.I don't know what to think about this.

[scarface367]

The report seems credible. Any time you deal with sources like the type that Mansoor uses, you will sometimes end up with a false lead. I do hope that this is the case here.

[JeeperFreeper]

Good post, Meg33. Sounds plausible. Where would they get the rockets though? Also, sounds like the terrorists are planning something along the lines of Tet '68 to try to sway American opinion.

[kevao]

a convoy of trucks and jeeps and cars was brought across from Iran

If this report is true, then Iran is soon to host some 100,000 U.S. troops.

[Quilla]

There was much discussion on the validity of Ijaz's report on the thread posted last night. The specifics of his interview were not available, since we were just posting what we could recall. Hopefully the transcript will assist in deciphering the details of what could be a horrific situation.

[MEG33]

We need to get a spy in the sky for these borders.

[Steve_Seattle]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't it unlikely that a group of irregulars would have the know-how to launch a ballistic missile at a target 50-200 kilometers away with any degree of accuracy? And where would they get such a missile, and who would pay for it? If this story is true, it seems that there would have to be state (Iran?) involvement at virtually every level of the operation.

[Quilla]

Who else but a state could launch and direct a "wag the dog scenerio" as suggested?

[Viking2002]

So, we're finally going to 'out' the weird beards on Bin Laden, and there's an imminent chemical strike planned on Baghdad. The next 72 hours or so will be a real nail-biter. What I'd like to know is whether there's a direct Al Queda connection and, if so, is it part of a larger global operation against other Western cities?

[genefromjersey]

I'm reserving judgment (not that anyone really cares !)

Ijaz is a man who may well be managing Saudi money: His Crescent Investment Co. is reported to have about .7 BILLION in assets-much of it from the Middle East and Southeast Asia.

He is in an ideal position to affect the stock markets in the areas he deals with just by making a statement on Fox News (or al-Jazeerah,etc.)

He was a heavy contributor to the DNC,and something of a "player" in the volatile Pakistan arena.

[Grut]

And remember, a chemical weapon, to have massive -- the most massive impact that it can have to have a midair burst. Which means that it needs to be launched from, let's say, 100 kilometers away or 50 kilometers away or 200 kilometers away.

I have no opinion whether this report is reliable, but the idea that "...a midair burst...needs to be launched from, let's say, 100 kilometers away or 50 kilometers away or 200 kilometers away" is just silly.

[MizSterious]

Thanks for posting this. I came into the room as the interview was concluding, so I missed most of it. This fills in the blanks.

[Quilla]

He certainly seems to have Hume (Fox's News Director and to me, the best newsman around) convinced that he is credible. Although many of his past "reports" never played out, that's still a pretty strong endorsement.

[PersonalLiberties]

According to his Bio read on the air by Neal Boortz today. This is the same man who negotiated the deal with Sudan to turn bin Laden over to Clinton. And I have also seen him speak on On the Record. I think he carries some weight. He even admitted that the Kurds are not 100% our allies either as the tried to sell back some of the stuff to Iran when the intercepted it.

[scarface367]

200km away is stretching it a bit, but 50-100km is about right in order to ensure a successful mid-air burst. They would be using larger rockets in order to carry out such an attack, and they require a significant range to be effective.

[mystery-ak]

...keep your Chem-suit near.

[ItsOurTimeNow]

to try to sway American opinion.

Exactly my first reaction as well.

These types of people aren't stupid. They know full well what the Anti-American Left is saying about this war, and the terrorists know that a major attack would upset popular opinion of the war.

[Quilla]

On the outside chance that this is true, I'm saying a prayer right now for our brave troops in Iraq and their incredibly strong families at home.