Apocalypse Now, or Alottanukes Soon

At a time when a tape handed over to the Qatar-based Al-Jazeera television station has received widespread expose for its purported comments by Osama bin Laden in praise of recent terror events around the world, another al-Qaeda message released to the same station has received little coverage.

Al-Jazeera was granted an interview with one Mohammed al-Usuquf, allegedly al-Qaeda's number three. Al-Usuquf is said to be a doctor in physics and to hold a masters degree in international economics. A copy of the interview was sent to the prestigious Arab-language daily Al Quds Al Arabi, edited in London, but it was not printed.

Asia Times Online has obtained a copy of the interview, and reproduces excerpts here, with the caveat that the identity of the man has not yet been confirmed, nor has his membership within al- Qaeda.

Al-Usuquf says that al-Qaeda's Kuwaiti spokesman, Sulaiman Abu Ghaith, and bin Laden himself, suggested that he grant the interview. Bin Laden, he says, is "alive and healthy, along with his commanders Mohammed Atef, Khalid Shaik Mohammed and Mullah Omar".

Al-Usuquf starts by criticizing Washington's disrespect of the Kyoto Protocol on climatic change, the International Criminal Court and the Palestinian cause, as well as the "financial greed" engendering speculative gains over Third World countries. He also criticizes the manner in which America wastes wealth, like US$80 billion a year on gambling. "They [have] lost the notion of spirituality and only live in sin."

For this reason, America must be destroyed, and al-Usuquf insists that "aircraft carriers, nuclear submarines and spy satellites will be worthless in the next war".

Al-Qaeda, according to him, has 5,000 first rank operatives and around 20,000 all over the world. Of all the prisoners in the US, only "20 or 30" are al-Qaeda, and all of them "second-rank". Confirming Asia Times Online information, he swears that there are no first- rank prisoners in Guantanamo in Cuba. Al-Usuquf says, "We have more than 500 first-rank and 800 second-rank [operatives] inside the US." "First rank" are considered ones that have lived in the US for more than 10 years, most of them married with children. "They have an idea about the plans, and they are just waiting for a call." "Second-rank" operatives arrived in the past five years and "have no idea about the plans". They are all willing to die.

Al-Usuquf insists that September 11 "was just the beginning. It was a way to call the world's attention to what's going to happen." He then details a plan to destroy the US by "attacking the heart of what they consider the most important thing in the world: money".

"The American economy is an economy of false appearances," says al-Usuquf. "There's no real economic weight. American GNP is something around $10 trillion, but only 1 percent comes from agriculture, and only 24 percent from industry. So 75 percent of its GNP comes from services, and most of it is financial speculation. For someone who understands economics, and apparently America's Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill does not, or cannot, the US as a whole behaves like an immense dot.com, and dollars are its stocks. The value of stocks from a given company is directly proportional to its profitability. When a company only provides services, but does not produce goods, the value of its stocks depends on its credibility. What I'm saying is if US credibility is affected, its stocks - the US dollar - will fall at tremendous speed, and the whole American economy will collapse."

Al-Usuquf is absolutely positive, "because, in a smaller scale, this is exactly what big financial conglomerates do with Third World countries to collect profits in one month that no Swiss bank would guarantee in four to five years". Al-Usuquf says that al-Qaeda could do the same by "provoking a deficit of $50 to 70 trillion, the equivalent to five to seven years of the GNP of the US". How? By "destroying America's seven largest cities and some other measures". The means? "Atomic bombs." Al-Usuquf's most startling revelation is that the bombs "won't be launched, they are already there". "Seven nuclear heads have already been positioned on American soil, before September 11, and they are ready to be detonated. Before September 11, American security was a fiasco, and even later, if we needed, we could position the bombs there. They arrived through seaports, as normal cargo. A nuclear head is not bigger than a fridge, so it can easily be camouflaged as one. Thousands of containers arrive at a seaport every day, and even with very efficient security, it's impossible to check and examine each one of them."

Al-Usuquf says that the bombs were bought on the black market: five from the former USSR and two from Pakistan. The five Russian heads "are from T-3 missiles, also known as RD-107, and their power is around 100 kilotons each, that is five times the Hiroshima bomb. The Pakistani ones are less powerful, something around 10 kilotons each."

Each of the Russian bombs would have cost around $200 million. Al-Qaeda was able to raise the money "because we have many sponsors. Many countries sponsor us, and also some very rich people." And not all of these are Arab countries. "Some European countries as well are also interested in the fall of the US." As to the "rich people", they are "people who are also tired of seeing the US bleeding the rest of the world."

And Iraq's Saddam Hussein, says Al-Usuquf, is not one of these people, "but just a collaborator, represented by Abdul Tawab Hawaish, his vice prime minister and responsible for Iraq's arms program".

Al-Usuquf says that the bombs cannot be detected by US authorities. "Even if they are old, they were modernized and are very well hidden. Even if they were located, they have autodetonation mechanisms in case something or someone gets close. Even an electromagnetic pulse is not capable of deactivating them." The bombs allegedly cannot be detected because "they are enveloped in thick layers of lead". They could be detonated "by various methods - cellphone call, radio frequency, seismic shock or by their regressive clock".

Al-Usuquf details the whole plan. "First, one head would be detonated, which would cause the deaths of 800,000 to 1 million people and a chaos never seen before. During this chaos, two or three planes, which are now disassembled inside barns near empty roads in the US countryside, would take off in suicide missions to pulverize another two or three big American cities with chemicals. Once the disease was identified, all seaports and airports would be quarantined. Land borders would also be closed. No plane, boat or car would enter or leave the US. This would be total chaos." The first target would be the city "that would offer the best conditions, for example bright sky and winds of eight or more miles an hour blowing towards the center of the country, so radioactive dust can contaminate the largest possible area".

This attack would not knock out the US, recognizes al-Usuquf, "But the process would be initiated. As with the World Trade Center, it would be just a question of time for the whole economic structure to be turned to dust. If the objectives are reached with one bomb and diseases, probably we will save the lives of other people, but it's risky, and probably six more bombs will be detonated, one a week, and more attacks with chemical weapons will be launched." According to estimates made by al-Usuquf "and Ayman al- Zawahiri", al-Qaeda's number 2, about 15 million people would die, victims of the bombs and the radiation. Among those contaminated by diseases, "25 percent will die, a figure around more than 5 million, plus many others due to the chaos and disorder".

Al-Usuquf does not fear an American military response. "Even if five or 10 cities are chosen at random to be destroyed, it will still be a small price to pay. The problem is that the economic despair will be so great that even if it saves [money] by not using weapons, American liquidity will be near zero, and the US will make more money selling a Nimitz-class aircraft carrier to Turkey or Italy for $5 billion, because they will urgently need to recapitalize. But it will be too late. Moreover, what will remain of an American soldier's morale to fight knowing that his whole family died and his country ceased to exist? To fight for what?"

The world economy would not collapse, says al-Usuquf, although "in the beginning, it will be very difficult. But without the US the world will soon rise in a more just and fraternal manner. Nothing can stop the plan."

And whatever America does, "it's too late". When will the attack begin? "I can't tell."

Interesting...Im not sure why they need anything more than conventional weapons to meet their goal of financial collapse. The biggest buying season is nearly upon us - one that retailers depend on to keep them going. If that is significantly interrupted then most companies are in a world of hurt. If its done in such a way to keep shoppers away for a long period they'd fold. Look at the financial fall out from 9/11. Most of the airlines are on or nearly on the ropes.

If you want to understand them, you have to learn to hate. Not just a quick tantrum of hot rage, but cold endless consuming chilled to the bone hate. The kind of hate that not only lasts for generations, but grows stronger and more malevolent with each tick of the clock, each day, each year.

The kind of hate that makes a mother lace up an explosive vest on her baby, lovingly wrap a scarf around his neck, kiss his forehead a last time, and send him to blow himself to hell in a crowd of schoolchildren.

That kind of hate can not be satisfied with a single explosian, no matter how big, and how destructive.

The same thing used to be said about the Soviets in the 60's. The story was that they had planted suitcase nukes, smuggled in diplomatic pouches, all around sensitive sites in the US and were gonna detonate them prior to a strike. I don't think Al-queda is the type to get a shiny new toy and not use it.

"Don't blow this off so fast... "

Exactly, in the war that we are now entering I don't believe that we can afford the luxury of arrogance.

Incidentally I think the number of sleeper cells that are quoted in this article are probably low.

Once we hit Iraq, expect the Jihadists (including Iraq & Iran) to throw everything they've got at us. Every dirty nuke, suicide bomber, mad gunman, truck bomb, biological, and purchased or manufactured nuclear device in their arsenal........

If we don't hit them, we're going to get hit....When we do hit them, we're going to get hit sooner.

Yeah. I think we're on the same page here. They are truly the embodiment of evil on earth.

Would these terrorists be so cocky with their boasts if they knew that as the first bomb goes off here, there will be retalaiation that virtaully anilalates every Arab/Muslim city in the world? Would they be so boastful about their distruction of America if they knew they and their families and their countries will not be around to enjoy the aftermath?

The USSR once made similar boasts about wiping out America and taking over the world. It was the knowledge of our power to retaliate that kept them at bay and finally brought them down. Perhaps the terrorists have heard too many bleeding-heart-Berkley-types spouting nonsense and theink that we do not have the guts to retaliate if it meant killing off whole countries. Perhaps it's time we did some threatening of our own.... its the only thing these creeps understand.

If al-Qaeda planted seven nuclear warheads in the US prior to September 11th, they will not detonate today--nuclear weapons need constant maintenance to remain combat-ready, and I doubt that a bunch of camel-fornicating al-Qaeda types will have the spare parts or the technical expertise needed to perform said maintenance.

Al Queda was in some serious need of deterrance after 9/11, when they were getting pounded like a cheap cutlet in Afghanistan

Perhaps, the response in Afghanistan was anticipated. (We are pretty predictable) And maybe, we really weren't wreaking that much hurt on them. The guys lost and rounded up were probably only cannon fodder anyway. These jihadist are a dime a dozen and easily dispensable.

We really have no way of knowing if Bin Laden was even in Afghanistan at the time of the 9.11 attacks.

I do have one concern about all of this. I don't believe for a second they have ONE much less SEVEN nukes. However, if they ever DID use one, what would our response really be?

I mean, who would we nuke? I know it's comforting to say we'd just nuke the Arab/Muslim world, but WOULD WE? I mean, without evidence that any of these states were linked, what would we do? Would we just nuke terrorist states like Syria and Saudi Arabia(which we needed to do anyway)? Or would we just do an Israeli-type Samson Option and nuke Islam out of existence?

The really interesting thing here is the sight of the IslamoSchutzStaffel openly climbing on board with the global left. It's the Axis of Unwashed Evil.

CAIRN - great bunch of lobbyiests..and a good bunch of boys ..we just love them Islam is a relgion of peace y'all know and most Americans know that...millions of peacefull hard working family mulsims..

Saudi Arabia...once of our ~~raunchiest~~ staunchiest allies in the war on terror..a great bunch of guys over there..we just love em to death...did I mention Islam is a religon of peace..

I'm not sure I believe his claim about the nuclear weapons, but his analysis here is quite discerning - and troublesome.

Agreed, this is 100 % pure BS. If they had nukes, does anyone really think they wouldn't have nuked NY and DC while we were unprepared? They could have wiped out our leadership and our economy in one blow. Instead, they sent planes to knock down some towers.

I believe that this article does offer a window into the Arabs' hearts, however. There is no question that they would nuke 7 US cities if they could. What they don't realize is that we wouldn't be selling our aircraft carriers to Turkey in response. First thing that would happen, all Muslims would be sent to concentration camps. Then, all able bodied Americans would be enlisted. Then, we'd occupy the middle east. Step aside, Saud, we are taking over. Any resistance would lead to a REAL nukin'. Bye bye Kabaa. Bye bye Damascus. Japan didn't want us to take over their country, either, but after Nagasaki, they let us waltz in. After a few examples of our resolve, we would control the Middle East.

Their people would be disarmed, their countries expropriated, their children disinfected and removed from Islam's grip. Their resisters would be hunted down and killed. They would make this into "us or them", and we would pick us, and they would lose. Then the world would rebuild.

Thankfully, this is not the scenario we face, because, as I said, they don't have nukes.

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