Posted on 05/31/2002 2:49:38 AM PDT by kattracks
The FBI has alerted local cops that Al Qaeda terrorists have gotten their hands on shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missiles capable of taking out a jetliner.
But the feds insisted in its bulletin there was no information that Osama Bin Laden's killers were "planning to use any type of missile or weapons systems against commercial aircraft in the U.S."
In the "law enforcement sensitive" bulletin, sent May 22 to police departments nationwide, the FBI said it believed Al Qaeda might try to use the weapons against U.S. forces in the Middle East.
However, Dan Smith of the Center for Defense Information, a think tank made up of retired military officers, said the FBI would not issue a local alert if it did not think an attack could happen here.
"If somebody's got a ground-air missile, and they have been known to use them, to practice with them, there's no reason why — given the opportunity — they wouldn't try to deploy them against a civilian target," Smith said.
Saudi guards at the Prince Sultan Air Base south of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, found a 4-foot-long launcher for a Soviet-made SA-7 missile three weeks ago. It was discovered about 2 miles from the nearest runway — but inside the base's outer perimeter fence.
The cover on the front of the launch tube was intact, but there were scorch marks on the back of the tube, suggesting it had been used to fire a missile. The military reported no recent attacks or threats against the base.
"That is still troubling," Smith said. "A jetliner at 35,000 feet would not be bothered by a SA-7 missile. But a plane taking off or landing could be vulnerable."
Cargo Search Plan
In another anti-terrorism move, the Customs Service's chief said yesterday that he wants U.S. inspectors to search American-bound cargo containers while they are in foreign ports.
Customs Commissioner Robert Bonner said this is essential to prevent terrorists from smuggling deadly weapons — including nuclear weapons — into the U.S.
"I have proposed that we essentially move our zone of security outward," he said, "that we actually have a strategy for searching and inspecting containers that are high-risk ... at the point of origin, rather than the point of arrival."
A military analyst on Fox News just said a missile shot down flight 800. He said people were seen on a boat with the launcher. He said the government hid the information to not scare the public. He said after the latest warnings that the government has decided to release the information so it won't be blamed for "knowing". He was very angry how the government handled it.
Laundry time! As I said as soon as the Dems attacks on GWB started: The Dems are gonna regret it BIG TIME! They played dirty and now everything is gonna come out.
GO GWB GO!
As I recall, going back to the days shortly after TWA Flight 800 went down off Long Island, a marina operator (on the south shore of LI ... only a few miles from JFK) reported three middle eastern looking individuals had rented, or chartered, a power boat on the day prior to the crash. The boat was returned to the marina at some point the night Flt. 800 went down and the individuals who chartered the power boat were never seen again by the marina people ... they never collected the deposit they were required to make when they initially chartered the vessel. Kalstrom and his FBI group apparently talked to the marina people, but having already established in their minds (at least for political reasons) the crash of TWA was caused by a fuel tank explosion this lead was never pursued. Can't let a solid lead get in the way of a good political cover-up.
Semper Fi!
Patience, my friend: the whole world will find out very soon. Hillary (and others) made a BIG mistake! Underestimated GWB...again...
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