Remember that the summer threat emerged right after the interception of the Pakistani woman on the Texas border with the South African passports who was heading to NYC, and the subsequent uncovering of various AQ biggies in Pakistan, including one of Shukrijumah's African associates on the original BOLO list of the seven suspects released in late 2002. It seemed that those events in July led to the discovery of the threats against NYC/NJ/DC financial targets. But simultaneously, this infiltration was happening hundreds of miles to the west.
Except for a very few miles of the New Mexico border, the only state Sonora borders is Arizona. It may not just be a gateway. It may be a target.
It could still be that the July NYC/DC/NJ financial targets were not meant to be the main event. While that threat may have been very real, it may have also been a diversion to attract scrutiny to a secondary rather than a primary target, which could still be somewhere in the DC/NYC areas, but may also be very different, such as Arizona, which if timed properly would have a marked effect.
Just because they are Chechens does not necessarily mean this has anything to do with schools. Ayman al-Zawahiri (nominal AQ operational leader who just pulled off a simultaneous strike in his home country directed against Jews on the Israeli border - - the first major AQ strike directed at Israel) was reportedly active in Chechnya in the mid-90s both in efforts to train local AQ cells and to acquire nuclear materials/weaponry.
Zawahiri has issued two taped threats in the past 35 days. Every one of these taped threats over the past decade (except for two threats in October 2001 - - which debatably could be related to the downing of the airplane over Rockaway and the Dragonfire threat) has been followed by a successful attack.
The other shoe is about to drop.
http://www.washtimes.com/national/20041013-121643-5028r.htm
U.S. security officials are investigating a recent intelligence report that a group of 25 Chechen terrorists illegally entered the United States from Mexico in July.
The Chechen group is suspected of having links to Islamist terrorists seeking to separate the southern enclave of Chechnya from Russia, according to officials familiar with intelligence reports.
Members of the group, said to be wearing backpacks, secretly traveled to northern Mexico and crossed into a mountainous part of Arizona that is difficult for U.S. border security agents to monitor, said officials speaking on the condition of anonymity. . . .
U.S. security officials have been concerned in recent months that al Qaeda or other terrorists are planning to enter the United States from Mexico.
Intelligence officials said a suspected al Qaeda leader who has been in the United States was spotted recently in Mexico. Officials believe Adnan Shukrijumah, whom the FBI wants for questioning, met with alien smugglers in Mexico and Honduras and was seeking ways to bring al Qaeda members into the United States. Shukrijumah was seen in August in the Sonora province of northern Mexico, officials said.
(snipped)
Thanks for the new TM thread! Always appreciated.
We've been reporting here on TM that they've been entering from Mexico for quite some time.
Was just discussing this older article, which reinforces the Arizona border connection:
****
Arabic diary found near border
Couple discovers book in backpack dropped on their property
Posted: February 13, 2003
http://wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=31027
So, 25 Chechens may have come over in July...but as we know, many others are already here.
I agree with you that the shoe will drop and soon. I had thought that they'd aim for Oct. 12th and thankfully, I was wrong. The jihadi posts are focused on Ramadan.