'Disturbing' data suggest plot for summer terror
By Jerry Seper
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
Published May 26, 2004
http://www.washingtontimes.com/national/20040525-113030-4809r.htm

Federal authorities have what one U.S. official described as "credible and disturbing" new information suggesting that a terrorist attack on the United States is planned for this summer, and government officials already are upgrading their efforts to respond.

Attorney General John Ashcroft and FBI Director Robert S. Mueller III were scheduled to hold a press conference today to describe the intelligence data.

Law enforcement authorities confirmed last night that the information did not include a time or place for a would-be attack, the method of delivery, or the suspected terrorist organization involved.

It was not clear whether the suspected terrorist plot involved members of the al Qaeda network, which was responsible for the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon that killed nearly 3,000 people.

The threat, first reported by the Associated Press, raised concerns among U.S. officials last night about terrorist use of chemical, biological or radiological weapons in public places.

Authorities also have been concerned about "soft targets" such as unprotected shopping malls, and railroad, train and bus depots. Officials also fear attacks during the November elections.

The U.S. official, who asked not to be identified, said there was "a certain level" of collaboration for the intelligence data, but he declined to elaborate.

There was no indication last night that the Department of Homeland Security planned to raise the nation's terrorism threat level from Code Yellow, or elevated. However, the FBI planned to notify 18,000 state and local police agencies nationwide of the potential threat.

The threat level has been at Code Yellow since January.

The FBI already has established a special task force to focus on potential terrorist threats in the coming months.

Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Michael J. Garcia, who heads U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), said at a press briefing yesterday that security levels had been increased for Memorial Day ceremonies in Washington, D.C., including the opening Saturday of the National World War II Memorial.

Mr. Garcia, however, did not say there had been any specific threats, but he reported that ICE agents would provide "substantial law enforcement and security support to selected venues in the United States" for several high-profile government, political and athletic events this summer.

Among the other events Mr. Garcia mentioned were the Group of Eight summit in Georgia next month, the Democratic National Convention in Boston in July, and the Republican National Convention in New York in August.

He said the ICE Office of Investigations was providing the U.S. Secret Service with a "potential surge capacity" of 2,300 ICE agents to support security events in the coming months. In addition, he said, five to 20 teams of ICE agents have been positioned across the country to support the Secret Service's presidential campaign details.

7 al-Qaida Suspects Sought in Attack Plan
by CURT ANDERSON, Associated Press Writer
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&u=/ap/20040526/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/terror_threat

WASHINGTON - America's top law enforcement officials urged the public Wednesday to help the FBI track down seven suspected al-Qaida operatives and avert an attack on U.S. soil that a stream of credible intelligence indicates could occur in the summer.

Attorney General John Ashcroft said the "disturbing" intelligence, collected for months, augments al-Qaida's own declaration that its plans for a devastating follow-up to the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks are 90 percent complete. Ashcroft said that could mean terrorists already are in the United States to execute the plan, though he acknowledged there is no new information indicating when, where or how an attack might happen.

"Credible intelligence from multiple sources indicates that al-Qaida plans to attempt an attack on the United States in the next few months," Ashcroft said at a news conference with FBI Director Robert Mueller.

Ashcroft and Mueller announced an intensified level of counterterrorism activity for the summer. This includes interviews with individuals who could provide intelligence about terrorism, creation of a new FBI task force to focus on the threat and an appeal to all Americans to be extra vigilant about their surroundings, their neighbors and any suspicious activity.

There was no immediate plan to raise the nation's terror threat level. Asa Hutchinson, Homeland Security Department undersecretary for border and transportation security, said, "We don't have the specific information that would justify raising it or would cause us to do it."

Some Democrats charged that the administration was needlessly scaring people, perhaps to divert attention from the continuing problems in Iraq.

Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry stopped short of charging the announcement was politically motivated. But he questioned the Bush administration's commitment to providing the resources necessary to protect the country, citing gaps in chemical and nuclear plant safety and inadequate protection for U.S. ports.

Ashcroft rejected talk of a political motive, saying greater public vigilance could help head off an attack.

"My job isn't to worry about whether someone will be second-guessing," he said.

White House press secretary Scott McClellan also denied there was a political aspect to the threat report.

Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge, notable by his absence from the Ashcroft and Mueller news conference, indicated on NBC's "Today" show that there was some dissent over whether to raise the threat level from yellow, midpoint on the five-color scale, to orange.

"There's not a consensus within the administration that we need to raise the threat level," he said. However, later in the day, he echoed Ashcroft in saying all key officials are in agreement about the terror threat.

Six of the al-Qaida operatives, including two Canadian citizens, whose photos and backgrounds were highlighted Wednesday have been the subject of FBI pursuit for months. The seventh, 25-year-old Adam Yahiye Gadahn, is a U.S. citizen who grew up on a California goat farm and converted to Islam as a teenager. He was described by Mueller as having attended al-Qaida training camps in Afghanistan and served as an al-Qaida translator.

Each of the suspects, Ashcroft said, presents "a clear and present danger" to the United States because of their language skills, familiarity with U.S. culture and ability to travel under multiple aliases and use forged documents.

Ashcroft said that al-Qaida has made adjustments to its tactics to escape easy detection, such as having operatives travel with their families to lower their profiles and recruiting people who can pass for having European ethnicity rather than Middle Eastern backgrounds, as all of the 19 Sept. 11 hijackers did.

"Al-Qaida is a resilient and adaptable organization, known for altering tactics in the face of new security measures," Ashcroft said.

Ashcroft acknowledged there is no new intelligence about the suspects indicating they are in the United States or part of a specific al-Qaida plot. He said it was important that the public be given "a reminder" about them.
   
Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois, a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said that for "several months" the panel has been hearing reports about a new al-Qaida danger. While he agreed that the threat was serious, he questioned why the threat level wasn't being changed if new warnings were being made public.

"We'll never know if the administration has new and justifiable information for this new warning," Durbin said in an interview. "I think there's a building skepticism about warnings from the Bush administration."

Ashcroft sand Mueller insisted there was reason for concern, and said the summer could offer a number of inviting targets for al-Qaida.

The political repercussions from the March 11 train bombings in Spain, which contributed to defeat of the ruling party in subsequent elections, could embolden al-Qaida to try to influence U.S. elections through attacks here, Ashcroft said.

There is also concern about a number of high-profile summer events, beginning Saturday with dedication of the new World War II Memorial in Washington and next month's economic summit of the eight industrial powers, being held at Sea Island, Georgia. The Democratic and Republican conventions, in Boston and New York, also are potential targets.

One aspect of the law enforcement plan is to conduct interviews nationwide of people who could provide information about terrorist plans or suspects. Mueller said these would not necessarily be targeted at Arab-Americans or Muslims, although the interviews could include many from those ethnic groups, and would be driven by intelligence needs and information collected elsewhere.

Information being sought, he said, could include "persons that may have moved into a community recently, persons who seem to be in a community without any roots, persons that could be either facilitators or those who are willing to undertake an attack."

Report: 18,000 al Qaeda fighters
http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/europe/05/25/alqaeda.ap/index.html

LONDON, England (AP) -- Despite losses around the world, al Qaeda has more than 18,000 potential terrorists, and its ranks are growing because of the conflict in Iraq, a leading think tank warned Tuesday.

Al Qaeda still has a functioning leadership despite the death or capture of key figures, and estimates suggest al Qaeda operates in more than 60 nations around the world, the International Institute of Strategic Studies said in its Strategic Survey 2003-4.

The terrorist group poses a growing threat to Western interests and attacks are likely to increase, the institute said.

"Al Qaeda must be expected to keep trying to develop more promising plans for terrorist operations in North America and Europe, potentially involving weapons of mass destruction," institute director John Chipman told a news conference to launch the annual survey.

At the same time, it will continue carrying out attacks on "soft targets encompassing Americans, Europeans and Israelis and aiding the insurgency in Iraq," he added.

The estimate of 18,000 fighters was based on intelligence estimates that al Qaeda trained at least 20,000 fighters in its training camps in Afghanistan before the United States and its allies ousted the Taliban regime. In the ensuing war on terror, some 2,000 al Qaeda fighters have been killed or captured, the survey said.

The United States remains al Qaeda's prime target, the report said. An al Qaeda leader has said 4 million Americans will have to be killed "as a prerequisite to any Islamic victory," the survey said.

Iraq has become the new magnet of al Qaeda's war against the United States and up to 1,000 foreign Islamic fighters have infiltrated Iraqi territory, where they are cooperating with Iraqi forces, the survey said.

Al Qaeda appears to have successfully reconstituted its operations in dispersed groups and through local allies since being driven out of Afghanistan, the survey said.

"The Madrid bombings in March 2004 suggested that al Qaeda had fully reconstituted, set its sights firmly on the U.S. and its closest Western allies in Europe, and established a new and effective modus operandi," the survey said.
The U.S.-led war in Iraq has increased the risk to Western interests in Arab countries, the survey said.

The West and its allies must continue to mount a major offensive against al Qaeda and progress will be incremental, the report said. Any security offensive against al Qaeda must be accompanied with political developments, such as the democratization of Iraq and the resolution of conflict in Israel, it said.

Progress against al Qaeda "is likely to accelerate only with currently elusive political developments that would broadly depress recruitment and motivation," the report said.