Al Qaeda Says It Will Hit U.S., Jewish Targets Soon

Reuters | 7/9/02 | Reuters

[freeperfromnj]

ALGIERS (Reuters) - The al Qaeda network will strike U.S. targets in America and around the world soon, an al Qaeda spokesman said in an interview published Tuesday.

"Our military and intelligence networks are assessing and monitoring new U.S. targets that we will strike in a period of time which is not long," spokesman Sulaiman bu Ghaith told the Algerian Arabic daily newspaper El Youm.

The United States blames Saudi-born Islamic militant Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda for the Sept. 11 hijacked plane attacks on New York and Washington that killed more than 3,000 people.

"Our suicide militants are ready and impatient to carry out attacks against U.S. and Jewish targets inside (America) and abroad," the spokesman added.

El Youm director told Reuters the newspaper received on Monday by e-mail taped answers to questions that had been sent Sunday to al Qaeda's Internet Web site. Bu Ghaith warned America to "fasten its seat belts" because his organization "will hit, with God's willing, from where they will not expect."

"America knows we are men of action and not men of words," he went on, saying that attacks were also being planned against the "puppet government" of Afghan President Hamid Karzai.

Bu Ghaith, in a tape aired last month by Qatar-based al Jazeera television, said al Qaeda was behind a suicide attack on a Tunisian synagogue in April that killed 21 people, including 14 German tourists.

He told El Youm that Washington's war on terrorism since Sept. 11 had not affected al Qaeda's military, intelligence, economic and information infrastructures and reiterated that bin Laden was going about his work.

A spokesman for international forces hunting al Qaeda fighters in Afghanistan has dismissed as "wishful thinking" such claims that the network is still virtually intact.

[Snowy]

**yawn**

[Semper Paratus]

Does that mean I still have to keep my safety belt fastened?

[freeperfromnj]

You can yawn if you like. I for one believe they do indeed have suicide militants ready to strike and in fact did strike on July 4.

[Thane_Banquo]

Didn't this same person say we'd get a video message from one Osama bin Laden on July the Fourth?

[habaes corpussel]

Why not? The FBI will only label these "Hate Crimes" and "isolated Incidents".

[ko_kyi]

Yup. I get a lot more concerned when they AREN'T thumping their chests. They only seem to talk when they can't put a plan together.

[freeperfromnj]

So far his rhetoric has been nothing but idle threats. There will come a time when they will make good on those threats to save face. The sleepers are out there waiting.

[CatoRenasci]

Just let it be known we'll nuke Mecca if this sh*t doesn't stop. And then DO IT!

[Tacis]

Sulaiman bu Ghaith also pointed out some minor difficulty in recruiting suicide bombers for these projects in the US. He had to promise additional virgins in Paradise. Any bomber in the US, you see, will be BWB ("buried with bacon"), a troubling prospect for recruits and, apparantly, to the virgins, as well.

[old school]

Snowy's right! If Boo and the boys was gonna do sumthin', they woulda done it. Besides, Attorney General John Ashcroft neutered the rest of those bastards before they had a chance to react!

[3AngelaD]

Yes, Cato, it would be unfortunate if we nuked Mecca by accident. So sad.

[Centurion2000]

To Al-qaeda: I've been waiting for the latest episode of "Weekend at Bin Landen's"

Where's that cute video supposed to be ?? Or is Bin Landen doubling as a movie prop in "Night of the Living Dead" ?

[irish guard]

No offense, but if they struck on July 4th, they hardly struck fear into the hearts of Americans. I am sure they have bigger things planned, but that thisng on the 4th was not what this guy must be talking about.

[Bigg Red]

I agree with your assessment. Who knows how many of their sleepers are ready? And perhaps they are not aiming for another gigantic hit but are planning simultaneous smaller hits -- perhaps schools, small businesses, etc. I hope that all Jewish and Israeli linked organizations are well protected. These bloodthirsty monsters must be stopped!

[Bigg Red]

Idle threats? I don't know, maybe they are hoping to employ the boy-who-cried-wolf strategy until our guard is down far enough.

[freeperfromnj]

Snowy's right! If Boo and the boys was gonna do sumthin', they woulda done it.

I sure hope all of you are right. Then I guess we can ignore all of those silly reports about missing Pakistani and Yemeni men and all of those reports of sightings of middle eastern looking men taking pictures of power grids, reservoirs, nuke plants, etc. Maybe they should even release those currently being held for intent to carry out attacks. They really weren't going do us any harm.

[Viva Le Dissention]

Or, rather--does this mean the federal government is going to have mandatory terrorist seat belt enforcement zones?

Remember, citizen, Click it or Ticket.

[pabianice]

It's true! Why, just last Friday, when I went to services, someone had left an oil stain in the parking lot. If this isn't enviroterrorism, what is?

[freeperfromnj]

but if they struck on July 4th, they hardly struck fear into the hearts of Americans

The only reason he didn't massacre dozens more people is because of the fast reaction of the El Al security officer. Many of us are making the mistake of misjudging this incident by the number of casualties.