Posted on 01/22/2007 12:16:37 PM PST by maquiladora
Edited on 01/22/2007 12:29:11 PM PST by Admin Moderator. [history]
ABC NEWS: DOCS SEIZED IN IRAQ REVEAL INSURGENT PLAN FOR ATTACK IN U.S.
Suspects, Reportedly Tied to Al Qaeda in Iraq, Sought Student Visas
WASHINGTON, Jan. 22, 2007 — Mimicking the hijackers who executed the Sept. 11 attacks, insurgents reportedly tied to al Qaeda in Iraq considered using student visas to slip terrorists into the United States to orchestrate a new attack on American soil.
Lt. Gen. Michael D. Maples, head of the Defense Intelligence Agency, recently testified that documents captured by coalition forces during a raid of a safe house believed to house Iraqi members of al Qaeda six months ago "revealed [AQI] was planning terrorist operations in the U.S."
At the time, Maples offered little additional insight into the possible terror plot. ABC News, however, has learned new details of what remains a classified incident that has been dealt with at the highest levels of government.
Watch the full report tonight on "World News with Charles Gibson."
Sources tell ABC News that the plot may have involved moving between 10 and 20 suspects believed to be affiliated with al Qaeda in Iraq into the United States with student visas — the same method used by the 19 al Qaeda terrorists who struck American targets on Sept. 11.
U.S. officials now require universities to closely track foreign nationals who use student visas to study in the United States. University officials must report international students who fail to arrive on campus or miss class regularly.
In August, the FBI and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement alerted intelligence agencies and state and local law enforcement about 11 Egyptian students who had failed to report to their classes at Montana State University. The students were ultimately apprehended.
Still, despite the heightened precautions, some security analysts fear that skilled terrorists — handpicked because of their clean records and because they are carefully trained — could still slip through an academic setting.
The plot was discovered six months ago, roughly the same time that Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the leader of al Qaeda in Iraq, was killed by coalition forces. Sources tell ABC News that the suspects involved in the effort to launch the U.S. attack were closely associated with Zarqawi.
The plan also came only months after Ayman al-Zawahiri, al Qaeda's No. 2, had requested that Zarqawi attempt an attack inside the United States.
"This appears to be the first hard evidence al Qaeda in Iraq was trying to attack us here at home," said ABC News consultant Richard Clarke, former chief counterterrorism adviser on the U.S. National Security Council.
The plan was uncovered in its early stages, and sources say there is no indication that the suspects made it into the United States. Officials also emphasize that there is no evidence of an imminent attack.
The hunt for suspects continues, however, and some fear that al Qaeda recruits in Iraq could be easily redirected.
"Anyone willing to go to Iraq to fight American troops is probably willing to try to come to the United States," Clarke said.
http://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=2813235&page=1
ping
Why would ABC news tell us? They are too busy helping the other guys.
This outta get the conspiracy moonbats tweaking, coming just before SOTU.
The left will say it's a ruse invented to shore up Bush's sagging poll ratings.
I wonder how the media will spin this. Probably that we caused it.
Wouldn't THAT make them terrorists?
Thats a lie. There are no terrorists in Iraq, the 'Rats told me so.
Let the whole bloody world know. Without this information leaking, we could organize Delta and SIX to completely and utterly destroy any attack inside this country.
because its Bush's fault for creating the insurgency (sarcasm)
I mean, glad this comes up - on ABC, too! - right before the SOTU.
OTOH, the rats will spin it as 'the US deserves this payback.'
I'm sure Brian Ross is on the beat, hunting down some pervert Congressman.
The key is the word "insurgent"...meaning theirs or ours? ;)
They're telling their allies to back off so they don't get slaughtered.
What was the nature of the planned attack?
Dear ABC.
Thanks jerks for letting our enemy know that we know his plans.
You guys out to be sent to prison as spies and sabateurs.
There isn't any plan for an attack in the US. This is just to justify continuing the war and to boost Bush's sagging popularity!!!!
(Just doing a little preemptive strike for what we can expect from the left...)
Anxiously-awaiting-further-details bump.
Nancy will save us!
ABC just betrayed their best friends. They should be held accountable.
That was my initial thought is ABC is revealing our attack plan, but it appears otherwise.
PING
WHA WHA WHAT????
But But But..
I've been told war in Iraq had nothing to do with the War on Terror....
ABC works for the enemy in Iraq, no reason to believe this trash talk.
More like political talk to bash the President, yet again, another yawner.
Now you've done it, (conspiracy)heads will be exploding over at DUmmyland.
ABC NEW, Fair and Balanced
Tell the world of our secrets and the terrorists secrets.
Good point. They can't call them terrorists, otherwise they'd have to admit that it's a WAR ON TERROR.
pong to link in #9
Here's the story:
Details Emerge About Possible Terror Threat
Suspects, Reportedly Tied to Al Qaeda in Iraq, Sought Student Visas
WASHINGTON, Jan. 22, 2007 — Mimicking the hijackers who executed the Sept. 11 attacks, insurgents reportedly tied to al Qaeda in Iraq considered using student visas to slip terrorists into the United States to orchestrate a new attack on American soil.
Lt. Gen. Michael D. Maples, head of the Defense Intelligence Agency, recently testified that documents captured by coalition forces during a raid of a safe house believed to house Iraqi members of al Qaeda six months ago "revealed [AQI] was planning terrorist operations in the U.S."
At the time, Maples offered little additional insight into the possible terror plot. ABC News, however, has learned new details of what remains a classified incident that has been dealt with at the highest levels of government.
Watch the full report tonight on "World News with Charles Gibson."
Sources tell ABC News that the plot may have involved moving between 10 and 20 suspects believed to be affiliated with al Qaeda in Iraq into the United States with student visas — the same method used by the 19 al Qaeda terrorists who struck American targets on Sept. 11.
U.S. officials now require universities to closely track foreign nationals who use student visas to study in the United States. University officials must report international students who fail to arrive on campus or miss class regularly.
In August, the FBI and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement alerted intelligence agencies and state and local law enforcement about 11 Egyptian students who had failed to report to their classes at Montana State University. The students were ultimately apprehended.
Still, despite the heightened precautions, some security analysts fear that skilled terrorists — handpicked because of their clean records and because they are carefully trained — could still slip through an academic setting.
The plot was discovered six months ago, roughly the same time that Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the leader of al Qaeda in Iraq, was killed by coalition forces. Sources tell ABC News that the suspects involved in the effort to launch the U.S. attack were closely associated with Zarqawi.
The plan also came only months after Ayman al-Zawahiri, al Qaeda's No. 2, had requested that Zarqawi attempt an attack inside the United States.
"This appears to be the first hard evidence al Qaeda in Iraq was trying to attack us here at home," said ABC News consultant Richard Clarke, former chief counterterrorism adviser on the U.S. National Security Council.
The plan was uncovered in its early stages, and sources say there is no indication that the suspects made it into the United States. Officials also emphasize that there is no evidence of an imminent attack.
The hunt for suspects continues, however, and some fear that al Qaeda recruits in Iraq could be easily redirected.
"Anyone willing to go to Iraq to fight American troops is probably willing to try to come to the United States," Clarke said.
No, the rats didn't tell you because they want plausible deniability. Their media whores told you so.
Rathergate is a good guide. There are a lot of moonbats out there who contend Karl Rove managed to plant those phony documents as a means to discredit poor Dan Rather.
Even Rather won't go that far. Last I heard, he is still claiming "Fake, but accurate."
They were gonna put underwear on our heads and flush Bibles down the toilet. Oh wait, that's the plan for the Democartic convention.
ABC calls our fighting forces insurgents and they call the terrorists "freedom fighters".
Silly. In other news, Friday will follow Thursday...
Um, except that breaking up a terrorist attack before it happens is good news for President Bush, and bad news for war critics.
But other than that, it's clearly another eeeevil plot to bring President Bush down... by making him look good. The fiends!
When the next attack occurs on our soil, and it will, the Democrats can brag that it was of their non support of the war on terror.
Yeah, let's give up over there. We'd much rather fight them over here...or at least react AFTER an attack. Thanks liberals.
There was a lot of interesting stuff on Zarq's thumb drive that we got a hold of.
What attack plan? All we got were seized documents about some plan by the ragheads to attack the United States.
The left will have a field day with this and we just need to remind them of a couple of things:
a) we wouldn't have found out about this if we weren't in Iraq;
b) most of those insurgents are Iranians;
c) when the left tells us that there weren't AQ in Iraq before the war, you can look at this link:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1698371/posts
6 months ago......... ABC knew about this. Where they holding this info for the November elections.
This makes my blood boil. They want to hang Bush and give him no credit in order to get dims back into power. I for one do not even believe the dims won the last election fair and square.
Show us a document saying they're NOT hoping to attack us, then you have some real breaking news.
PING
LOL. I always get my whores mixed up. I wonder if I'm related to the Kennedys?
So we're relying on college employees to keep track of terrorists? Great.
GEe what a surprise -- news of a possible Terrorist Attack right before the SUPER BOWL. Good thing this hasn't happened in the past.
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