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15 Freighters Believed to Be Linked To Al Qaeda
Washington Post ^ | 12/31/2002 | John Mintz

Posted on 12/30/2002 8:36:21 PM PST by Pokey78

U.S. Fears Terrorists at Sea; Tracking Ships Is Difficult

U.S. intelligence officials have identified approximately 15 cargo freighters around the world that they believe are controlled by al Qaeda or could be used by the terrorist network to ferry operatives, bombs, money or commodities over the high seas, government officials said.

American spy agencies track some of the suspicious ships by satellites or surveillance planes and with the help of allied navies or informants in overseas ports. But they have occasionally lost track of the vessels, which are continuously given new fictitious names, repainted or re-registered using invented corporate owners, all while plying the oceans.

As they scramble to keep tabs on the largely unregulated and secretive global maritime industry, U.S. officials have no end of worries about how nautical terrorists could attack U.S. or allied ports or vessels, officials said. They cite such scenarios as al Qaeda dispatching an explosives-packed speedboat to blow a hole in the hull of a luxury cruise ship sailing the Caribbean Sea or having terrorists posing as crewmen commandeer a freighter carrying dangerous chemicals and slam it into a harbor.

(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...


TOPICS: Breaking News; Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events
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To: Ramius; jayne
We need to be unafraid of them, even knowing that they will succeed in hurting us again. All the while we will continue to hunt them and kill them. There may not ever be a "victory" in the classical sense. The victory comes from merely never losing the will to fight them.

The unfortunate part of this war is the the best and most important stuff all happens at the far end of a scope-sighted rifle, and never makes headlines. Some parts will from time to time make for good video that plays well for the TV generation. Most will not. That's OK. We cannot let the lack of good video lull us into the misundertanding that nothing is happening. This could not be further from the truth.

Quote of the day nomination!

41 posted on 12/30/2002 11:48:26 PM PST by Stultis
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To: Pokey78
Why should we sink these ships? Remove the crew and take them over. If you keep sinking ships then you will will fill up the pond... then you'll have Waterworld! :^)
42 posted on 12/31/2002 12:21:12 AM PST by MedicalMess
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To: Carry_Okie
Your #40 was well-said!
43 posted on 12/31/2002 12:46:08 AM PST by Lion's Cub
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To: Barnacle; Brad's Gramma
"But, how he’s allowing and in some ways even promoting the illegal alien invasion of America borders on treason."

I wouldn't put it quite so strongly.

But I'll bump it anyway.

44 posted on 12/31/2002 12:54:56 AM PST by Tauzero
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To: Ramius; tonmo
"People were smuggled successfully in and out of East Germany for years... and they had just about the most secure border that could ever be made, and only a few miles of it compared to the thousands of miles of US borders."

Nevertheless, East Germans found it very difficult to escape their oppressors.

"An average container ship pulls into port with over 2500 containers, and whole industries rely on those containers unloading and getting on their way in just a few hours. It is simply impossible to inspect each one. We can wish it were possible all we want. It simply is not going to happen."

Is it necessary to inspect each one? Couldn't we simply inspect more? How do we implement trade policy?

"What this all means is that if there is a will a method will be found."

Most likely. But can we not increase the cost of the method and/or reduce its probability of success through better border control?

"The only thing we can do is hunt them down everywhere and kill them. Sometimes we will succeed and sometimes we will fail."

Of course. So how is that any better than greater efforts to control our borders? No one expects perfection. These are all straw-men you have raised.

"But to 'close the borders' -- even though it is not practically possible -- is just exactly what the terrorists would have us do."

Why would that be? Would such an effort make it easier to infiltrate and attack the U.S.?

45 posted on 12/31/2002 1:07:51 AM PST by Tauzero
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To: AntiGuv
...anyone care to comment on why we're not closing all of our borders at this point...

Simple. Because the economy would collapse.

BS! Blackbird.

46 posted on 12/31/2002 1:40:24 AM PST by BlackbirdSST
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To: BlackbirdSST; ATOMIC_PUNK
Sure, you two. Whatever.
47 posted on 12/31/2002 1:55:41 AM PST by AntiGuv
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To: Pokey78
Freighters aren't the only boats on the water. There are lots of pleasure craft that are large enough to carry anything you might want to. Smugglers get stuff in all the time. It would be crazy to think that the terrorists would choose to come through an actual border crossing. The state of Maine has around 3,000 miles of coastline. I think a little more intel work on the sending end would be needed to find the right boat to sink.
48 posted on 12/31/2002 3:09:18 AM PST by brooklin
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To: UnBlinkingEye
If we only had troops in the United States, stopped intervention in the affairs of other nations and quit protecting the interests of multinational corporations we would no longer face any problem with international terrorists. Which would leave us free to deal with a political elite that seeks to destroy the Constitution and our God given rights

Somebody oughta tell the international terrorist Islamists over in the Philipines that they shouldn't bother with that country because it's minded its own business.

49 posted on 12/31/2002 3:21:32 AM PST by steveegg
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To: TLBSHOW; rintense
Bumping a great quote from an unnamed paratrooper remembered by GWB in another great quote.
50 posted on 12/31/2002 3:25:15 AM PST by steveegg
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To: AntiGuv
"...anyone care to comment on why we're not closing all of our borders at this point..."

Simple. Because the economy would collapse.

Baloney! The economy has nothing to do with it. The borders aren't being controlled seriously and potential terrorists aren't being deported because the DemonRats and the mainstream media would crucify Bush as an extremist xenophobe. Nothing of substance will happen until the DemonRat Party fields a statesman of status to call for such action, thus disarming both the DemonRats and the media. Trouble is, there is nothing close to a statesmen anywhere in the DemonRat Party today, and the DemonRats would gladly trade additional massive American casualties in order to discredit Bush.

51 posted on 12/31/2002 3:35:06 AM PST by PeoplesRepublicOfWashington
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To: Tauzero; Ramius; tonmo; AntiGuv; ATOMIC_PUNK
BTTT, Tauzero.

The only bigger fool than the person that says we couldn't do a better job of securring all of our borders and ports is the fool that listens to them.

The measly 1,400 National Guard that were on the southern border after 9/11 reduced illegal alien crossings by 30% and had a similar effect on drug smuggling. So, what does Bush do? He sends them home, of course.

52 posted on 12/31/2002 3:44:57 AM PST by 4Freedom
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To: PeoplesRepublicOfWashington
"Nothing of substance will happen until the DemonRat Party fields a statesman to call for such action..."

Oh that's what it'll take, now.

The argument I heard before the last election was that nothing of substance would happen until after the Republican Party had control of Congress.

Funny how conservatives were maligned for speculating as to what the RINOs new excuse would be for not doing a damn thing in respect to securring our borders after the Republicans were given control of Congress.

So, Bush isn't doing anything, because the Democrats will call him names. Well, boo-freakin'-hoo.

I believe nothing will be done until Bush grows a pair, or he's kicked out of office.

53 posted on 12/31/2002 4:02:34 AM PST by 4Freedom
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To: Ramius
We may not be able to stop them from hurting us, but I sure want to make it more difficult for them to do so. We don't have to shut our borders down, but we could at least try to control them. Our borders aren't even a sieve; they are free flowing.
54 posted on 12/31/2002 4:06:33 AM PST by Samwise
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To: PeoplesRepublicOfWashington; 4Freedom; BlackbirdSST; ATOMIC_PUNK; tonmo
The post which I responded to - as you helpfully pointed out - said closing all of our borders which I took to mean shutting down the seaports (since that's what the article relates to). I've supported the most stringent of border controls since long, long before 9/11 just in relation to illegal immigration, much less terrorism concerns. I certainly don't object to any concerted efforts to tighten international maritime laws, strengthen the Coast Guard, and better supervise the shipping industry. If I made any error, it was to read that initial post literally. So, back off!! j/k :p
55 posted on 12/31/2002 4:42:47 AM PST by AntiGuv
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To: AntiGuv
"So back off!!"

As if you haven't been around here long enough to ask for clarification of another Freeper's post, if you were truly unsure of what they meant.

Try a little less facetiousness and ludicrousness. You're not insulting anybody else's intelligence as much as you're calling your own into question.

Happy New Year, everyone! ;^

56 posted on 12/31/2002 4:57:02 AM PST by 4Freedom
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To: AlaskaErik
"Time to give our subs some torpedo practice!"

Series question... Are they even armed with torpedos these days? With modern day weaponry, I'm guessing it would be akin to a cop keeping a backup .22 strapped to his leg.

57 posted on 12/31/2002 5:09:31 AM PST by Hatteras
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To: Mad_Tom_Rackham
Break our arm and we'll rip your legs off. Rip our legs off and we'll kill every last one of you and all of your friends and relatives.



...couldn't resist.
58 posted on 12/31/2002 5:09:33 AM PST by George W. Bush
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To: 4Freedom
You're not insulting anybody else's intelligence as much as you're calling your own into question.

Actually, it dawned on me rather quickly that my literal reading was fairly dumb, but I couldn't take it back once it was posted...

59 posted on 12/31/2002 5:27:37 AM PST by AntiGuv
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To: 4Freedom
BTW, that's what freeping after a couple beers too many can do to ya. So, now you know. Sorry...
60 posted on 12/31/2002 5:51:00 AM PST by AntiGuv
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