FBI investigating Las Vegas man's claim he overheard attack threat

YAHOO NEWS ^ | Fri Jun 21,12:15 AM ET | By KEN RITTER, Associated Press Writer

[kezekiel]

'We are in the city of corruption, the city of prostitution, the city of gambling, the city of unbelievers,'

Well, then maybe like Atta, they're off getting loaded at a strip joint. Freaking hypocrites.

[RaceBannon]

Maybe he meant his portable house phone, his cordless. I have intercepted a few calls on mine. One was a guy calling a 900 number for them to call him back! I was talking to my Mom at the time!! She heard it all, his phone blasted me off the air, it was louder than mine. I wrote the guy's number down when I heard it, then called him and told him! It was a riot! I searched on the web for who the number was just to satisfy my curiousity, and it was registered to a woman!

No, I didn't wait for them to call back....

[pseudogratix]

Actually, I have heard that Vegas has more churches per capita than any major city....but checking Google I came up with a link ( http://www.lvlife.com/dec1998/ features/story02.html ) that says, "Those who believe Las Vegas has the most churches per capita are in for a revelation. 'I would guess that there are 200 cities in America that have made that claim,' says UNLV sociology professor Donald Carns. 'When people perceive that they live in a sinful environment, they beef up the holy side. It's a standard sort of thing, the way we relate to our moralities and the sense of security that it gives.'" So who knows...

[Vermont Lt]

I think we are all thinking too BIG. Think about it. 40 of these nuts, in 40 towns, at 40 fireworks....with 40 martyr bombs strapped to their bellies. All at the stroke of 8 or 9....or when the 1812 Oveture goes off.

Living in a port town, I can imagine forty of these guys walking down the street during the evening with small arms. If they dont care if they live or die...they could cause panic the likes of which this country has never seen.

[eno_]

The article did say "cell phone" specifically, but hey, we can trust our media to get these facts right? No?

A cordless phone and/or baby monitor would be even more likley than an accidental cell phone call. I live waaaaay out in the country and once picked up my neighbors gearing up for their next baby - if you know what I mean - on my baby monitor reciever.

[Nexus]

PING

[Ditter]

I have had my cell phone pick up other conversations, several times. My call would be crossed with another call & there would be 4 of us on the line. I have never had it happen on my portable house phone.

[mikhailovich]

Who would think that American technology and freedoms could be the very thing that kills us all. In this case, cell phones and the 1st Amendment. Does anyone get it?

[thinden]

They probably view it as the infidel capital of the US.

more likely they were there to drink the free whisky and get laid.

p.s. interesting that yahoo can display full text version of NY Times piece, while FR can't???

[hunyb]

Mine too, SB, as well as both my brothers and their families..........this makes me nervous!....

[Dog Gone]

This seems pretty unlikely to me. A serious plan to hit Las Vegas in a couple of weeks would be in its final stages, and not something that would need to be discussed in this manner on a cell phone.

This guy may have heard this conversation, but if he did, it wouldn't have been al-Qaida. Possibly it's something planned by some two-bit terrorist wannabe.

[GnL]

But the most likely scenario of all is that he wants his 15 minutes.

It's hard for me to believe that a person of ME descent, US citizen or not, would intentionally draw attention to himself by lying to the FBI. I suppose it's not out of the question, but that's a strange way for an arab-speaking Lebanese-American to get his 15 minutes.

[okkev68]

That is my guess. I don't think they have the ability to pull off a single WMD type of attack. Even 911 was fairly simple, using our technology and openness as a country against us.

I am betting on fairly coordinated suicide bombings or shooting attempts in several cities at once. And there is no other day like the 4th were large groups of people are gathered together all across the country.

I still believe that as soon as these guys get their hands on a WMD, Israel will be the first target.

[VA Advogado]

I caught the FNC interview with the man this morning. He sure seemed credible.

Its nice to finally find an Arab man who seems to put his country of residence ahead of his country of origin.

[Sub-Driver]

agree, it all sounds suspect.......

[VA Advogado]

Here is a more-likely scenario: He knows one of the people he overheard. Their phone dialed his accidentally. This is very common. People's phones make accidental calls all the time due to being jostled in their trousers pocket or briefcase. He could have overheard two people talking, not knowing a cell phone had made a call.

So what you're saying is their phone made a three way call? Called him, put him on hold and called the intended party? Thats more than I can do with my phone and I know how to program my VCR.

[VA Advogado]

Actually, I have heard that Vegas has more churches per capita than any major city

LOL Having a lot of Elvis chappels and marriages, doesn't instill morality. I still love that city though.

[LandofLincoln]

If these guys are stupid enough to hit Las Vegas, let them. If they think the US military is mean, wait until they meet the Goodfellas. The rats in the sewer meet the rats in the sewer

[denydenydeny]

Atta was in Las Vegas on three different occasions last summer, with the apparent purpose of coordinating with the other pilots.

[Catspaw]

I don't think Vegas is that important. If the terrorists are going to attack there on July 4th, I suspect they are going to attack a lot of cities. Maybe that's the plan.

As I dug out the factoid that Atta and henchmen met in Las Vegas, I also note the Vegas was where they probably planned the attacks, not where the attack took place.  That doesn't mean that Vegas is not a target, but if they follow true to form, Vegas is a place where plans are plotted, not where the attack's going to take place.

 

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA

Mohamed Atta made several trips to Las Vegas in the months leading up to the attack in New York. Investigators say that Atta, along with Marwan Al-Shehhi, Hani Hanjour, Nawaf Alhazmi and Ziad Jarrah were all in Las Vegas at various times from May to August. Four of the five men were on separate flights on September 11, leading to suspicions that Las Vegas was a meeting place to work out the final details.