Posted on 07/17/2005 5:25:28 PM PDT by archy
FBI bulletin outlines possible terrorist plot at Texas border
BY ALFREDO CORCHADO AND JASON TRAHAN
The Dallas Morning News
DALLAS - (KRT) - Dirt roads trace pale lines across a desolate landscape of bald peaks and plunging canyons near Texas' Big Bend and bridge the international boundary at dozens of improvised crossings. For decades, these routes have been used to smuggle drugs and humans. Now there is growing concern they could become deadly conduits for terrorism.
The concern is buttressed by a confidential but unclassified FBI intelligence bulletin, obtained by The Dallas Morning News, that contains the vague outlines of a possible terrorist plot.
Officials from both sides of the border downplayed the possible threat but acknowledged that it is the sort of scenario they have to guard against. The prospect of terrorists crossing the southern border has been a rising concern among officials in Texas and Washington.
The plot, according to uncorroborated information provided by an FBI informant, involves a man, described as an Arab who goes by the nickname "El Espanol," and Ernesto Zatarin Beliz, also known as El Traca, a reputed Mexican drug trafficker and member of the Zetas, the feared enforcers of the notorious Gulf cartel.
"El Espanol is gathering truck drivers with knowledge of truck routes in the United States and explosive experts" in the state of Coahuila, according to the March 11 memo, which originated in the San Diego FBI office and was made available by a U.S. attorney's office. The informant "believes that the activity in Coahuila, Mexico, is terrorist related."
In exchange for the Zetas' help in recruiting drivers, the memo says, the Arab - who barely speaks Spanish - promised to help them fund and execute a plan to free Gulf cartel leader Osiel Cardenas from prison. The Gulf cartel is embroiled in a bloody turf war with rival traffickers for control of Nuevo Laredo, a key drug smuggling route into the United States.
According to the FBI memo, Traca was attempting to recruit a security guard at a Mexican government explosives factory in Cuatro Cienegas, Coahuila, to assist with the Arab's plan. The region is known for producing nitric acid and ammonium nitrate, materials that are used for industrial and agricultural purposes and can also be ingredients for explosives.
The informant has "provided reliable narcotics intelligence in the past," the bulletin says, but adds that the informant also flunked two polygraph tests.
The San Diego FBI analyst who wrote the document declined to comment. The division's spokeswoman said publication of such sensitive information would undermine the bureau's mission.
"We are trying to protect national security," said Special Agent Jan Caldwell. "We can't do that when things like this are put in newspapers."
A senior Mexican intelligence official said the information in the memo had not been corroborated.
"The informant paved a road that led nowhere," the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. He added that Mexican federal agents spent "literally weeks chasing down the information, only to come up empty-handed."
However, the Mexican intelligence official confirmed the identity of El Traca as Zatarin and said that El Espanol was a known human trafficker, specializing in smuggling Middle Easterners and South Americans, particularly Brazilians and Paraguayans.
Mexican authorities have been unable to track down El Espanol, the official said.
According to the March FBI bulletin, Mexican authorities arrested Zatarin in September 2003 and found an arsenal of assault rifles in his residence, described by Mexican authorities as a "bunker utilized by Los Zetas." Zatarin later escaped, however, and his picture and name are now on a poster listing Mexico's most wanted criminals.
"FBI intelligence indicates that Los Zetas are becoming increasingly involved in systematic corruption as well as alien smuggling ... (including) special interest aliens to the U.S.," the bulletin concludes.
Since the 2001 terrorist attacks, the Bush administration and members of Congress from both parties have viewed the southern border as a weak link in efforts to keep terrorists out of the United States, even though the Sept. 11 terrorists entered the country with visas, some legal, others forged.
"That's been the concern all along, that there would be a bargain struck between al-Qaida or some (other) terrorist organization and these organized crime networks that would allow terrorists to be smuggled into the country," U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, said in an interview. "I think that's a very real concern."
At a hearing Tuesday of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, the chairman, Sen. Richard Lugar, R-Ind., said: "Given the threat of international terrorism, there is great concern that our land borders could also serve as a channel for international terrorists and weapons of mass destruction. The threat of terrorist penetration is particularly acute along our southern border."
Senior U.S. officials added that other criminal groups such as the Mara Salvatrucha - the Central American gang that has moved into several U.S. cities and has a growing presence along the U.S.-Mexico border - also are a top concern for U.S. authorities.
Lugar said that 3,000 to 4,000 of the 119,000 non-Mexican immigrants apprehended so far this year trying to cross illegally into the United States were from "countries of interest" like Somalia, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia. That number is up from 75,371 for all of 2004 and is expected to reach 148,000 by year's fiscal end.
Adm. James Loy, former Homeland Security deputy secretary, declined to comment on the specific plot outlined in the FBI memo, but earlier this year he suggested that such a threat is real.
"Entrenched human-smuggling networks and corruption in areas beyond our borders can be exploited by terrorist organizations," Loy said in written testimony at a congressional hearing in February. "Several al-Qaeda leaders believe operatives can pay their way into the country through Mexico and also believe illegal entry is more advantageous than legal entry for operational security reasons."
But law enforcement officials discounted the suggestion that terrorists would use the rugged Big Bend area to transport explosives - especially in a tractor-trailer that would glaringly stand out.
"I think there would be easier ways to get explosives inside the United States," said Benjamine Carry Huffman, assistant chief patrol agent for U.S. Customs & Border Protection in Marfa, Texas.
But the intelligence bulletin noted that the alleged terror plot, as relayed by the informant, was still a work in progress, leaving open the possibility that less conspicuous vehicles might be employed. And the FBI memo said that "one possible smuggling route Traca wanted to use was through Big Bend National Park."
The border patrol's Marfa sector is its largest, covering 510 miles of border with Mexico, including part of Big Bend National Park, and bordering the Mexican states of Chihuahua and Coahuila. With some 200 agents, it has the smallest force of any sector along the Mexican border, according to Bill Brooks, the sector spokesman.
Much of the area is desert and mountainous terrain, dotted by at least a dozen informal crossings known as Class B ports of entry. These consist of makeshift bridges capable of carrying foot and some lighter vehicle traffic. Authorities tried to seal them off after Sept. 11, 2001, but several have been re-established. Officials acknowledged that agents cannot regularly police the informal crossings.
"Who ever imagined that terrorists would use passenger planes to crash into tall buildings?" Hoffman said. "After September 11, we have to operate on a different mindset, one in which we take absolutely nothing for granted. Is it possible terrorists can come across this border with explosives or a dirty bomb? Absolutely."
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(Dallas Morning News correspondent Michelle Mittelstadt in Washington contributed to this report.)
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© 2005, The Dallas Morning News.
Visit The Dallas Morning News on the World Wide Web at http://www.dallasnews.com
Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Information Services.
"Not that it matters to Frist, since he won't win the GOP primary in '08, but this type of nonsense is giving the Hildabeast an issue to triangulate on to create a winning majority in the presidential election. If the Dims become the pro-immigration reform party, even if cosmetic, it will hurt the GOP do-nothings."
Consider: If Hillary takes the position that Republicans SHOULD BE taking, then Republicans will be forced to be either further right, or left of her.
Whatever one thinks of her, Republicans have left an open path for a democrat candidate to take a more reasonable policy position of immigration, from national security standpoint.
I'm sure Bush sits back, relying on the fact his own policy got him elected twice, and he doesn't have to run again.
Policy positions for Republican presidential candidates are their own business. Tancredo first out of the blocks.
Perot forced a balanced budget to be important in 1992.
Perhaps Tancredo will force immigration to be important in 2008.
Sealing the border by itself will not solve our illegal immigration problem. We need interior enforcement and to turn off the magnet. But, let me also say that even if we magically had no illegal immigrant problem, the threat of terror demands we put military patrols on the border. If some here think that is impossible, trust me, if we have a cross-border terror event, you'll see all kinds of troups on the border. The question is whether we put them there ist or after an event.
Of course, that cuts both ways. Once enough Mexican refugees come to this country, we become the legitimate government of Mexico by default.
I'm sick of this President Bush. Are you a mouse or a man when it comes to the sactitiy of OUR borders and OUR nation?
Did you or did you not have your fingers crossed when you swore to uphold Article 4 Section 4 of the Constitution of the United States?
I don't know about Bush's adherence to his oath, either as president or from when he was a USAF officer. But I know about mine. And a few others:
24.9 million
The number of military veterans in the United States.
(From the upcoming Statistical Abstract of the United States: 2004-2005.)1.7 million
The number of veterans who are women.
(From the upcoming Statistical Abstract of the United States: 2004-2005.) 9.7 millionThe number of veterans who are age 65 or over.
(From the upcoming Statistical Abstract of the United States: 2004-2005.)2.4 million
The number of black veterans. Additionally, 1.1 million veterans are Hispanic; 272,000 are Asian; 159,000 are American Indian or Alaska native; and 30,000 are native Hawaiian and other Pacific islander. (The numbers for blacks, Asians, American Indians and Alaska natives and native Hawaiians and other Pacific islanders cover only those reporting a single race.)
8.2 million
Number of Vietnam-era veterans. Vietnam veterans account for more than 3-in-10 veterans, the largest share of any period of service. The next largest share of wartime veterans, 4.4 million or nearly 2-in-10, served during World War II.
m the upcoming Statistical Abstract of the United States: 2004-2005.)16%
Percentage of Persian Gulf War veterans who are women. In contrast, women account for 5 percent of World War II vets, 3 percent of Vietnam vets and 2 percent of Korean War vets.
om the upcoming Statistical Abstract of the United States: 2004-2005.)381,000
Number of veterans who served during both the Vietnam era and the Desert Storm era (August 1990 or later).
>>Claimed the Minutemen were the worst kind of vigilantes.........he said they were actually "hunting, with intent to kill" the illegals.
If you look at their policies here http://www.minutemanhq.com/hq/sop.php
it would seem the Minutemen are indeed the worst kind of vigilantes: "You have agreed to abide by a no contact, no engagement policy...You will not be coming to Arizona to challenge anyone, any idea, any person -- your challenge is with yourself. Your challenge will be, simplistically put, to behave yourself."
Sounds more like a yoga retreat to me! What sort of vigilante challenges no one and contacts no one?
I did five duty tours along the 5-km zone in West Germany along the East German [870 miles] and Czechoslovolkian border in 1967, prior to my later tour of Southeast Asia spas and resort areas. Some of them were quite interesting, even sporty.
And yes, there were occasional successful crossers, whom we generally did not try to kill, though they had been told we would. But those numbers were very managable compared to what's going on along that 2000-mile border with Mexico.
Thanks for the memories, dude. The Wall down in the Zone was the same as it was in Berlin.
2nd Bn 6th US INF
Oh No! Not El Espanol!!!
NeverGore :^)
Related link:
ttp://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1444792/posts
ON THE NET...
http://www.google.com/search?q=%22El+Traca%22&hl=en&lr=&filter=0
http://www.altavista.com/web/results?itag=ody&q=%22El+Traca%22&kgs=0&kls=0
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1444792/posts
ON THE NET...
ON THE NET...
http://wwwhtm.pgr.gob.mx
http://wwwhtm.pgr.gob.mx/fugitivos/opera_lista.asp?item_delincuente=150
http://wwwhtm.pgr.gob.mx/fugitivos/consulta_cartel.asp
http://wwwhtm.pgr.gob.mx/fugitivos/opera_consulta.asp?pagina=1&TamPagina=72&orden=nombre&status=A&sexo=A&tipo=img
ON THE NET...
http://www.altavista.com/news/results?q=%22El+Traca%22&nc=0&nr=0&nd=4
http://www.altavista.com/news/results?q=%22El+Espanol%22&nc=0&nr=0&nd=4
http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&ned=us&ie=UTF-8&q=%22El+Traca%22&btnG=Search+News
http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&ned=us&ie=UTF-8&q=%22El+Espanol%22&btnG=Search+News
Surprise, surprise! They already are.
IMHO, the terrorists are already here. Their WMDs (whether nuclear, biological, etc.) are here. Their plans are already here. Now, they are just waiting for the perfect time.
And when they decide the time is right, the carnage is going to be unimaginable.
And when we learn they came across the southern border, President Bush will be finished since everyone knows he's turned his back on this problem.
And a RAT, most likely The Hildabeaste, will easily take the White House in 2008.
IMHO. Sorry for the pessimism.
ON THE NET...
http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&lr=&tab=wn&ie=UTF-8&q=%22Zetas%22&btnG=Search+News
http://www.altavista.com/news/results?q=%22Zetas%22&nc=0&nr=0&nd=4
http://www.google.com/search?q=%22Zetas%22&hl=en&lr=&filter=0
http://www.altavista.com/web/results?itag=ody&q=%22Zetas%22&kgs=0&kls=0
"...the drug cartels...making billions..."
That brings up an interesting point. What if, as many of us suspect, the drug business is a major funding apparatus for both political parties.
If that is true, then funding and not votes would be the major motivation for keeping the borders open.
Is it not true that by far the greatest number of illegal drugs come across the Mexican border?
"Who ever imagined that terrorists would use passenger planes to crash into tall buildings?"
Tom Clancy.
And the US Pentagon brainers.
ALERT: By 2004 we will have 30 to 40 MILLION illegal aliens in the US!
With that number you can forget ever getting them out because they will be in too many political offices.
Understood?
ping to #46
" lemonade stand again"
No, no, no...the republican party has "class. It's Republican's Raspberry Party Punch. (leaves a bitter taste in your mouth.)
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