Posted on 09/11/2001 1:25:25 PM PDT by Leroy S. Mort
1515 GMT, 010911
The Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP) has reportedly claimed responsibility for the attacks on the World Trade Center. This report, fromm a television station in Abu Dhabi, in unconfirmed.
The DFLP was formed in 1969 with an estimated membership of 500. It was originally based in Syria, but the location of its current headquarters are unknown. The DFLP receives financial and military aid from Syria and Libya. It operates in Syria, Lebanon, Israel and the occupied territories. Its leader is Naif Hawatmeh, according to Israeli-based Interdisciplinary Center.
The group was largely dormant from 1988 until this summer, when it claimed responsibility for an Aug. 25 attack against an Israeli military post in the Gaza Strip that left three Israeli soldiers dead. This attack was the first instance of Palestinians successfully using conventional military-style tactics.
Before this year, DFLP operations have always taken place either inside Israel or the West Bank and Gaza. Typical acts include minor bombings and grenade attacks, as well as operations to seize hostages and attempts to negotiate the return of Israeli- held Palestinian prisoners.
The group split from the Palestinian Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) years ago, but reconciled with the PFLP - and with Palestinian Authority leader Yasser Arafat - in August 1999.
The attacks differ significantly from the DFLP's previous methods of operation. Likewise, the resources and infrastructure necessary for such attacks are far beyond the group's traditional means. Either the DFLP's claims are spurious, or it has joined forces with other groups.
That's ridiculous.
It would cost less than a thousand dollars to outfit two men with ceramic knives and "street clothes." For a thousand, you could feed two men for a year. If eight planes were hijacked (I don't know how many, I'm just using this number), that means they only needed 16 operatives. This entire operation could easily have cost less than $200,000, assuming every one of them was willing to work for free. Most of the cost would be in training eight of the terrorists to pilot the planes, which can be done fairly easily with commercial software and a few lessons. They don't have to be great pilots, just good enough to hit their targets.And if the DFLP kept this operation to themselves... that would only increase its chances of success. Loose lips sink ships, small independent groups like this are the most effective.It would be more expensive to build a custom ceramic derringer, but it could easily be done (they would have to be very careful to wipe all traces of nitrogen from the ammo, probably by keeping it in several layers of bags). The knife or gun could be hidden anywhere on the body.
Both men go to the bathroom early in the flight to draw/assemble their weapons. Then they walk to the cockpit, they kill the pilots, one guards the door, the other assumes the controls.
Terror is cheap, incredibly so. We cannot just bring to justice the perpetrators of this CRIME, we must reform the entire Muslim world to make it hostile to terrorism.
India, Russia, Europe, they will all stand by us, as this attack could just as easily have happened to them. While we have their support, we need to MOVE, and take decisive action.
I heard security specialist Frank Gaffney(?), on with Hugh Hewitt this morning, say that he didn't feel that they could have pulled this off. His money was on Bin Laden.
This information is on the DOS web site, Mad Maddie Albeitnottoobrite said they weren't a threat and dropped em from the "A" list.
Forget the custom ceramic or nonmagnetic expensive stuff. The tools required are as simple as the old CIA Letter openers (5 bucks) made of derlin etc etc ....
Stay Safe.....
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