Posted on 11/09/2001 11:15:02 PM PST by kattracks
WASHINGTON (AP) - Suspected terrorist Mohammed Atta contacted an Iraqi agent with plans to blow up the Radio Free Europe building in Prague just before the terrorist attacks in the United States, Czech Prime Minister Milos Zeman told CNN.
Zeman said Friday that Atta had met twice with the Iraqi agent, a diplomat, in the days before the Sept. 11 attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon. The diplomat, Ahmad Khalil Ibrahim Samir Ani, was expelled from the country two weeks after the meeting. ``At first, Atta contacted some Iraq agent not to prepare the terroristic attack on'' the trade center, ``but to prepare terroristic attack on just the building of Radio Free Europe,'' Zeman told CNN. Czech intelligence officials have made previous accusations that Iraqi spies were plotting possible terrorist attacks on the headquarters of the U.S.-financed Radio Free Europe, but Zeman comments were the first time Atta has been connected to the plot. U.S. investigators believe Atta was at the controls of one of the planes that crashed into the World Trade Center. They also believe he led the terrorist cell for Osama bin Laden, the Saudi-born fugitive who is the FBI's top suspect.
WASHINGTON (AP) - Suspected terrorist Mohammed Atta contacted an Iraqi agent with plans to blow up the Radio Free Europe building in Prague just before the terrorist attacks in the United States, Czech Prime Minister Milos Zeman told CNN.
Zeman said Friday that Atta had met twice with the Iraqi agent, a diplomat, in the days before the Sept. 11 attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon.
The diplomat, Ahmad Khalil Ibrahim Samir Ani, was expelled from the country two weeks after the meeting.
``At first, Atta contacted some Iraq agent not to prepare the terroristic attack on'' the trade center, ``but to prepare terroristic attack on just the building of Radio Free Europe,'' Zeman told CNN.
Czech intelligence officials have made previous accusations that Iraqi spies were plotting possible terrorist attacks on the headquarters of the U.S.-financed Radio Free Europe, but Zeman comments were the first time Atta has been connected to the plot.
U.S. investigators believe Atta was at the controls of one of the planes that crashed into the World Trade Center. They also believe he led the terrorist cell for Osama bin Laden, the Saudi-born fugitive who is the FBI's top suspect.
President Saddam Hussein's Iraqi government has long complained about Radio Free Europe's broadcasts to his country. When the broadcasts began in 1998, the Baghdad government called the programming an ``act of aggression'' and pledged to halt all trade with the Czech Republic.
Iraq has denied having taken part in any bomb plot or having connections with bin Laden's group.
Copyright © 2001 Associated Press. All rights reserved.
So true, yet this pondscum has the unmitigated gall to blame the American people for 9-11.
Iraq is probably next. We have known of Iraq's involvement with WTC '93, from shortly thereafter. Clinton lacked the diplomatic skills, to regroup the "coalition," or for the US to go it alone if necessary. Likewise, he failed to hold Saddam's nuts to the fire, over the cease fire treaty condition of UN inspectors.
Bush will not continue making mistakes, with Saddam. The tough part is what to do, and how to do it. One way would be to lay out all of the evidence, against Iraq. Iraq equals Saddam Hussein. Re-establish as large of a coalition as possible, but announce in advance we will go it alone, if necessary. Reason: WTC '93.
Stated goal: Replace Iraq government and kill Saddam. The challenge for the military is how to do this, with minimum Iraqi civilian deaths. I expect the plans are beeing laid, at present.
Notice how quiet the administration has been, about Iraq? Notice how Iran has made positive jestures? Notice how agressively Turkey has supported the US? What about disolving Iraq, and handing the spoils over, to the victors?
The real trick will be to do this without massive US civilian casualties. And, regrettably, we may have to offer Saddam his life as a bargaining chip. I was initially in favor of taking him out in one massive strike, using nukes on his palaces and bunkers, but now I'm leaning to the idea that we should take it slow: hit his CBW inventories in the opening strike, then go for a massive air-land assault. I do not think his sleepers have much room for a graduated response -- they are most likely weapons of last resort, almost exactly the equivalent of ICBMs. If they truly have that limitation, then a gradual ramp up will work in our favor. As soon as the conflict with Iraq is in the offing the anthrax threat (which will probably subside over the next few weeks) will come to the fore again. The kind of drastic civil defense actions required to blunt a biological counter-strike by Saddam will be much easier to take in that context. As our troops close in on Baghdad, the whole country will be on full alert, turned against the infiltrator and braced to meet the threat. Currently, that's my best guess as to how this will play out.
Well, Bush just asked us all to volunteer for civil defense at the community level . . . Seems prudent to reestablish domestic civil defense . ..
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