Posted on 05/20/2011 10:26:03 PM PDT by lbryce
Osama bin Laden's personal files revealed a brazen idea to hijack oil tankers and blow them up at sea last summer, creating explosions he hoped would rattle the world's economy and send oil prices skyrocketing, the U.S. said Friday.
The newly disclosed plot showed that while bin Laden was always scheming for the next big strike that would kill thousands of Americans, he also believed a relatively simpler attack on the oil industry could create a worldwide panic that would hurt Westerners every time they gassed up their cars.
U.S. officials said the tanker idea, included in documents found in the compound where bin Laden was killed nearly three weeks ago, was little more than an al-Qaida fantasy. But the FBI and the Homeland Security Department issued a confidential warning to police and the energy industry Thursday. The alert, obtained by The Associated Press, said that al-Qaida had sought information on the size and construction of oil tankers, had decided that spring and summer provided the best weather to approach the ships, had determined that blowing them up would be easiest from the inside and believed an explosion would create an "extreme economic crisis."
Bin Laden's documents also revealed that in February 2010, the terror group identified New York, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles and Chicago as important cities that should be attacked; and it eyed specific dates, including the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, Christmas, July Fourth and the State of the Union address, according to a similar alert issued Friday, obtained by the AP. There is no information indicating that there are plots involving these cities, dates and tactics under way.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
CONTINUED...
Everything in a free society is a target. The group of us could sit down and come up with hundreds of viable targets. Since 9/11 nothing else has happened.
Is it logistical? Do our enemies not have enough funding or know how?
The threat is exaggerated, though real. In a decade nothing.
Bet he doesn't use those terms after we are hit.
BUSH BUSH BUSH
He wants and needs a terrorist incident. It means control, a rationale for big government and an opportunity for us to “not switch leaders mid-crisis”. It’s win-win and what’s a few dead Americans with all the evil we’ve done in the world to date.
Yet, these incompetent murderous psychos aren’t acting fast enough for the One. At least the oceans have stopped rising and the world’s beginning to heel...
last summer, creating explosions he hoped would rattle the world's economy and send oil prices skyrocketingThe fact that he didn't caused disappointment around the White House that was palpable. It wouldn't come as a surprise to learn that Osama's failure to get this carried out was the main reason Zero had him killed.
Only confirming what has long been discussed within the field of terrorism, counter-terrorism, etc.
I don’t think they were so crafty. With our inability to end the Somali pirate problem, Osama, if he still had mone, could have “bought” an oil tanker. Using a suicide squad they could have taken it somplace and created some real havoc.
We’re fortunate that al Qaeda is into symbolic and was only looking at major cities.
Apparently, he was just itching to meet the Navy’s SEALs; be careful what you wish for...
Apparently, he was just itching to meet the Navy’s SEALs; be careful what you wish for...
Their goal is destruction, regardless if it comes with publicity. For instance, ETA will make an announcement before they set off a bomb. AQ does not. ETA is trying to make a point and (currently)not necessarily trying to kill people (although they have). Where AQ wants to take down our way of life, that is their goal, economic and social destruction. Achieving their goals do not necessarily mean gaining attention.
Nothing has happened since 9/11? For real? Or are you only referring to the United States? There have been many other attacks in Europe and Asia. And there have been many attempts in the US. In fact the attempts have tripled over the last couple of years compared to entire time Bush was in office. Glad they have not been successful, we have excellent intelligence, but it doesn’t mean that it’s fantasy or they are out of funding. We’ve been fortunate, but AQ, especially AQAP hasn’t come close to slowing down.
So you’re trading liberty for security? How much security is enough? Fear is unlimited and easily stoked. When do you turn it off?
Is the TSA or The Patriot Act effective? Are they enough?
I did not say I was trading Security for Liberty. I said that the threat has not diminished. You had basically said their didn’t seem to be a problem with threats and I responded. No where in my response did I discuss what you are referring to. Talk about jumping to conclusions.
Why is a lot of the Bin Laden information being released to the public and the news agencies?
Shouldn’t our intelligence agencies keep it quiet rather than give ideas to other terrorists?
They did bomb a oil tanker after the Cole bombing
Roy Orbison. Ronstadt is a poser.
AQ has been threatening something major since 9/11, but we’ve gotten nothing.
The threats to the US are exaggerated. We have millions of Muslims to draw from and the terrorists can barely muddle through and the vast majority of their attacks occur in Muslim strongholds against other Muslims.
So what do you believe? You’ve stated that the threat is not diminished does it follow that you think we need the Patriot Act perpetually? The TSA should be expanded? At what point will the threat be diminished?
The threat to a free society is limitless. If you were not advocating trading security for liberty what are you advancing - status quo, more security/power in the hands of government or what?
Does the WH or the media know life existed before Dear Leader was Dear Leader? There was at least one tanker attack before, in 2002, which IIRC was considered the work of Al Qaeda. There have been others, which some have said were done by Al Qaeda.
Hey look. Let's face some cold reality.
Life has all sorts of ways to kill ya. It's amazing we are alive at all. People are killed, EN MASSE, by the automobile, but we don't declare a War on Cars.
Some of us, a very small percentage, might be killed by terrorists. It's not worth all the loss of freedoms, the incredible expense, and so on, to prevent it.
My only point when I wrote my statement was to respond to your post. Nothing more, nothing less.
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