Posted on 12/15/2001 4:23:35 PM PST by Pokey78
Chilling plans for a devastating bomb attack on the City of London have been discovered in a terrorist base in Afghanistan, revealing a sophisticated al-Qaeda training programme to spread its terror campaign to Britain.
The blueprint for the attack is contained in a notebook written in clear English discovered by The Observer at an al-Qaeda training camp in the former Taliban stronghold of Kandahar.
Worryingly for Britain's police and intelligence services, there is no indication whether the terrorist who drew up the plan stayed to fight and die with Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda, or whether he had already left on his mission to Britain before the suicide hijackings of 11 September and the US bombing of Afghanistan.
In step-by-step instructions it describes how to construct a massive remote-controlled van bomb - identical to those used by al-Qaeda against the US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania with such lethal effect in 1998.
A scribbled note on top of one of pages suggests that the intended target was Moorgate in the centre of London's financial district.
The discovery of the notebook comes after the US released a video, also apparently discovered in an abandoned al-Qaeda base, showing a giggling bin Laden boasting of how he had planned the suicide hijackings on 11 September. It also confirms a growing body of evidence that al-Qaeda was involved in orchestrating a global terrorism campaign against Western interests.
But the notebook is the first hard evidence that London was also an intended target of al-Qaeda. It appears to confirm fears of intelligence services and Metropolitan Police that an al-Qaeda sleeper cell may already be in Britain preparing an attack.
A Scotland Yard source said yesterday The Observer's discovery in Kandahar would be investigated by anti-terrorist officers. 'We have to recognise that there are some very big targets in the City of London,' he said.
Written in note form - apparently as an aide-mémoire by the man who would construct the bomb - the language suggests that the author was a British fundamentalist who prepared the document while training at the camp in the Sheragha Jama district of Kandahar, an area riddled with the former homes and compounds of al-Qaeda fighters.
Other documents found with the notebook indicate it was probably written in the early part of this year.
Although most of the al-Qaeda camps around Kandahar in southern Afghanistan - some booby-trapped - had already been cleared of their document caches by US Special Forces, The Observer came across the padlocked compound, riddled with bunkers, when local Afghan residents led us to it.
In one small room papers had been tossed onto a bonfire by al-Qaeda fighters who, locals said, had abandoned the area to join the fight for the city's airport against anti-Taliban fighters. It was here that the notebook was discovered.
The document appears to be a record of meetings between al-Qaeda's master bomb-maker and an English-speaking activist in which he is guided through each step in the process of building a bomb. In places the author has revisited his notes, adding information in a small neat hand, often underlined, suggesting that he has tried some of the procedures in the camp, had problems and been talked through his mistakes by his mentor.
The notebook is a mixture of apparently sophisticated data and simplistic checklists consistent with the tone of documents found in the luggage of the September 11 hijackers. It provides a detailed guide about how to behave while working under cover during the operation.
The intended target is made clear by references to what to expect when entering Britain. The target itself is identified by scribbled notes on how to find Moorgate, including reminders to use an A-Z and Business Directory.
The bomb-maker's guide is written by someone familiar with electrical engineering techniques and chemical procedures. The first of the 80 pages include calculations of the weight of boxes of detonators and discusses safety arrangements for handling and mixing explosives. They include notes on the importance of temperature control, keeping the equipment clean and of checking the concentration of the reagents used to manufacture the explosives.
The author then lists the equipment and material he will need to make the bomb, which he makes clear will be installed in a van.
Under the heading 'Business Plan' he writes: 'Connect the wires properly. Isolate connecting wires (Sellotape). Constantly refer to diag[ram], nobody work alone, const[ant] double checking.'
One section describes a list of serial numbers, transistors and capacitors, the exact grid location on the circuit board where they should be soldered, with notes added where there might be room for confusion. In one instance the author reminds himself that one key component should be placed on the circuit board 'head facing down, writing towards you'. Further on under the heading Remote Control, the author lists two makes of FM transceiver that would be incorporated into the device, while on the facing page he describes the 'preparation of the detonator', outlining in detail testing procedures and wiring.
The al-Qaeda bomb-maker also discusses the best components - including the antenna and transmitter for the 'remote control' and where to buy them. He includes instructions for preparing each item. He ends the notebook with the 'Rules of Activation' for the device, which uses a digital watch as a timing device. It concludes: 'Connect load... Turn SF2 on. Leave as fast as you can.'
The unnamed author also lists how he should behave, presumably to maintain his cover while in London as part of the sleeper cell. He tells himself he needs to travel and earn money. One note suggests he might find work in Dubai, perhaps to fund the operation.
He also ticks the attributes he will need: 'confidence', 'no panic', and 'don't be afraid'.
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