Big Apple Terror? Sources: Al Qaeda Plotting to Attack New York City Corporations

ABCNews in Washington DC ^ | 7/31/04 | ABCNews in Washington DC

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Big Apple Terror?

Sources: Al Qaeda Plotting to Attack New York City Corporations

ABCNEWS.com

N E W  Y O R K, July 31, 2004? ABC News has learned that federal and New York City officials have received credible intelligence that al Qaeda has been plotting to carry out suicide attacks on corporations based in the city.

Sources at several law enforcement agencies tell ABC News that an "overseas source" has provided the information about the threat to New York and that it is more significant than the usual "chatter" intercepted from likely terrorists that has prompted warnings in the past.

Officials from dozens of local and federal agencies met into the night Friday and again this morning.

"Intelligence reporting indicates that al Qaeda continues to target for attack commercial and financial institutions, as well as international organizations, inside the United States," the New York City Police Department said in a statement released today on the "ongoing al Qaeda threat."

"The NYPD recommends that corporate and institutional security directors review their protection of HVAC systems, parking installations, and security in general," the statement added. "The alert level for New York City remains unchanged at 'orange' or 'high.'"

Border Worries

Intelligence sources say al Qaeda plans to move non-Arab terrorists across the border with Mexico.

Authorities already have in custody a woman of Pakistani-origin arrested after crossing into Texas. She carried a South African passport with several of the pages torn out, $7,000 in cash and an airplane ticket to New York.

New York is already on heightened alert for the Republican National Convention, which meets at Madison Square Garden in a month and will bring scores of high government officials to town.

The sources tell ABC News that Wall Street firms may be among the targeted U.S. corporations based in New York City. Which corporations or how many may be targeted has not been revealed.

Suicide Truck Bombings

Particularly disturbing to authorities were the intelligence reports that the attack may involve one or more suicide truck bombings, a tactic never seen in the United States, but one widely used by terrorists elsewhere.

"I think they want to try and shake our psyche again," says Jerry Hauer, an ABC News consultant and former director of New York City's Office of Emergency Management. "And I think the easy types of attacks right now are car bombs, truck bombs."

Law enforcement officials acknowledge such bombs are extremely difficult to prevent.

As to the timing of any planned attack, sources say it could take place between now and Election Day in November.

As the government tries to verify the reports of the threat, there are no plans to raise the national threat level, a senior Bush administration official tells ABC News.

ABCNEWS' Pierre Thomas and Bob Jamieson contributed to this report.

[bayourod]

"I never said anything about Buchanan."

Didn't you know you were repeating his lies? Buchanan is such a discredited character that he has to use idiots like Tancredo to front for him.

Tancredo is so stupid that someone (probably Buchanan)duped him into proposing legislation to levy taxes on a certain type of international transaction. Tancredo is so uninformed that he didn't realize that his proposal would primarily affect only one company. He is so goofy that he didn't even know that the company he was trying to put out of business is the largest employer in his district. When he learned what he was doing he didn't even have the balls to personally apologize. He had one of his staff make the excuses.

Tancredo is a slimeball. Try finding another source for your anti-Bush material, such as your claim that there are are 18 million illegals.

[phxaz]

he isnt one anyway but being a coward isnt a crime. there is no criminal cowardice

[bayourod]

"I think border control (or lack thereof) is one responsibilty the Bush Administration has neglected. "

You think wrong. No one, not even the 9/11 Commission has criticized our anti-terrorism efforts on the southern border except the same racists xenophobes such as Buchanan/Tancredo/white supremists/ZPGs etc...who for years prior to 9/11 have been whining about Mexicans "diluting our culture, breeding, taking our jobs, going on welfare, breeding, littering, committing crimes, breeding, refusing to learn English, selling drugs, breeding, dating our white girls, supporting Mexican soccer teams, breeding, ruining our schools, destroying our neighborhoods, driving drunk, lowering wages, breeding, etc...

It isn't about terrorism at all, that's just the latest sheet for the xenophobes to hide under.

[bayourod]

" The terrorists could drive a cement truck full of dynamite up from Tijuana and blow up Disneyland and you wouldn't see Washington flinch..."

I can't believe anyone would make a statement like that.

[phxaz]

rmmcdaniell ruled: "The constitution mandates protection of the states from invasion. Bush is violating his oath of office by being too cowardly to secure the southern border. That is grounds for impeachment."

i say this with love: if you are ever in court accused of a crime do -not- represent yourself.

[Norman Arbuthnot]

You think wrong. No one, not even the 9/11 Commission has criticized our anti-terrorism efforts on the southern border except the same racists xenophobes such as Buchanan/Tancredo/white supremists/ZPGs etc.

Why don't you try answering my question this time??

You say I'm wrong. Prove it. It should be easy for you.

Tell me what substanial steps the Bush Administration has taken to secure our border with Mexico, or Canada for that matter.

[jaykay]

AQ wants to have an impact on the election, do something which affects the outcome in a way that is favorable to them. A President Kerry who would not wage war against terror but rather issue arrest warrants that could never be executed and ask the UN to condemn attacks is the election result AQ wants. They know that an attack in the U.S. probably would rally support arount the President and foil Kerry's chances. They also know that the Iraq body count is the Presidents biggest vulnerability. Iraq is where AQ will try to make their next big mass casualty attack happen I think, or at a U.S. military facility somewhere else outside the U.S. if they can't pull it off in Iraq.

[KQQL]

Don't count on W getting a Poll boast , if there is an another attack.

Rats will blame W for not protecting the HOMELAND and
Americans might Belief them.

[Don Joe]

This image has been making the rounds on the end of the world boards in the past few days

What kind of commentary/analysis are they giving it?

Does anyone know what the arabic says?

Any significance to the various numbers displayed on it?

I zoomed in on the image in Photoshop -- I was trying to figure out what was being shown in those glowing things, some of which show two yellow-orange hotspots.

Can't say I accomplished much. Pretty much looks like the same thing, only bigger. It does look like some of the glowing objects are mushroom clouds with hot centers, though, and when you zoom in enough, the glowing yellow object in Oscumbagama's hand looks like a stealth fighter (or bomber?)

Also, some of the glowing things that don't look like mushroom clouds look like they're sending out horizontal shockwaves. (When you zoom in enough you can see that the "cloud" is actually made of interrupted lines -- but only for some of them.)

Maybe they're trying to show that they're planning on a mix of ground burst and air burst detonations?

If the arabic says anything revealing (i.e., more than the standard odes to blowsama and the rest of the death cult gang) it might make more sense.

Or, it could just be a few hours worth of jihaddibopper's photoshopped bullsh!+ designed to excite their followers and/or terrorize "the infidel".

[True Capitalist]

Particularly disturbing to authorities were the intelligence reports that the attack may involve one or more suicide truck bombings, a tactic never seen in the United States, but one widely used by terrorists elsewhere.

Tactic never seen in the U.S.??? I just checked the ABC link and they still haven't corrected their disgraceful error. I guess the OKC Murrah Building and WTC Building bombing in 1993 are forgotten memories at ABC.

[True Capitalist]

I presume and hope all train service under MSG will be suspended when Bush addresses the convention.

Service is not suspended. My wife will be doing round-trips everyday on the LIRR to Penn Station convention week and my brother be doing a round-trip on Amtrack from Philly to Penn Station on Aug 29th and Sept. 1st

Since my wife, myself, and most of my friends work in high profile buildings in NYC, needless to say, our first reaction to this story was not whether an attack would help Bush's chances of reelection.

[steveegg]

...one or more suicide truck bombings, a tactic never seen in the United States,....

The last I checked, both OKC and WTC1 were not suicide truck bombings. Both trucks were on timers, with the guy who drove the truck up getting into a getaway car after setting the timer.

[steveegg]

Now why would they take out the UN? Maybe they're moving too slowly on finishing off Israel?

[True Capitalist]

The last I checked, both OKC and WTC1 were not suicide truck bombings. Both trucks were on timers, with the guy who drove the truck up getting into a getaway car after setting the timer.

Whether there was a "suicide" involved for most people is a distinction without a difference. However, the tactic of vehicular bombings utilizing trucks is not new and has proven to result in massive causalities whether a terrorist was included in the body count or not.

[JBCiejka]

I don't believe that in either OKC, and WTC's bombers were in the vehicles when the bombs went off. In which case there was no suicide

[steveegg]

Whether there was a "suicide" involved for most people is a distinction without a difference.

True, and I see exactly where the Leftist Media is headed (I needed another Dew to wake up this morning :-)

By making the "suicide" distinction, they'll conveniently gloss over the fact that a pair of potent truck bombs (one conclusively from the Religion of Pieces™) happened under Clinton's watch when the Islamokazis unleash the next bombs.

[Woodman]

The NYSE, NASDQ et al only need about 2 hours to relocate and open back up for business. It could be done in less than an hour, but you would never get enough people there in that time.

I seriously wonder if another major attack on NYC would wake up enough people to swing the state to GWB. I would never wish it on us, but I can't help but think it might.

[NCPAC]

A friend who works at one of the alphabet agencies near DC said this to me on Friday afternoon about transportation along the eastern seaboard: "Do not fly, do not take a train, and (expletive deleted), do not go to New York any time soon." Unfortunately, that's all he would say.

As a side note, it cost the Dems $2.5 million to purchase insurance for their soiree in Boston. At last words, the GOP is foregoing the purchase of insurance for their convention because the risk to insurers is too high and the rates for insuring the event would be astronomical, if not budget busting.