Posted by
Gabrielle Cusumano on Saturday, July 14, 2007 8:53:56 AM
"A new FBI analysis of al Qaeda messages, obtained by the Blotter on ABCNews.com, warns that “continued messages that convey their strategic intent to strike the U.S. homeland and U.S. interests worldwide should not be discounted as merely deceptive noise.”
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By News Admin | July 13, 2007
Fearing a possible coded signal to attack, U.S. intelligence and law enforcement officials are studying an unusual pattern of words in the latest audiotape from al Qaeda’s No. 2 man, Ayman al Zawahri.On the tape, posted on the Internet Wednesday, Zawahri repeats one phrase three times at the end of his message.
Have I not conveyed? Oh God be my witness.
Have I not conveyed? Oh God be my witness.
Have I not conveyed? Oh God be my witness.
A new FBI analysis of al Qaeda messages, obtained by the Blotter on ABCNews.com, warns that “continued messages that convey their strategic intent to strike the U.S. homeland and U.S. interests worldwide should not be discounted as merely deceptive noise.”
Intelligence analysts are also investigating technical clues that Zawahri’s most recent audio message was phoned in via computer phone, using voice over Internet Protocol, or VoIP.
The ease and frequency of Zawahri’s propaganda messages is one of the factors that have led U.S. intelligence analysts to worry abut a possible attack against the United States this summer.
The new FBI analysis, reviewing more than 70 al Qaeda messages over the last 14 years, found a recurring theme of “the duty to kill Americans — both military and civilian.”
Source - The Blotter
“Have I not conveyed? Oh God be my witness”. These are the same words used by Muhammad in his final sermon, delivered on the Ninth Day of Dhul Hijjah 10 A.H (632 A.D.) in the Uranah Valley of mount Arafat in Mecca.
“Ye people! Listen to my words: I will deliver a message to you, for I know not whether, after this year, I shall ever be amongst you here again. O people! verily your blood, your property and your honor are sacred and inviolable until you appear before your Lord, as this day and this month are sacred for all. Verily you will meet your Lord and you will be held answerable for your actions. Have I not conveyed the message? O Allah! Be my witness. He who has any trust with him, should restore it to the person who deposited it with him. Beware, no one committing a crime is responsible for it but he himself. Neither the son is responsible for the crime of his father, nor the father responsible for the crime of his son.”
In the final passage Muhammad states it again saying, “All those who listen to me shall pass on my words to others and those to others again; and may the last ones understand my words better than those who listen to me directly. Be my witness, O God, that I have conveyed your message to your people”.
From his words, Muhammad appeared to know that this would be his final sermon and in many ways it was his farewell. Is al-Zawahiri using these words to convey the same message…? A farewell, believing his time is short. If so, it could be significant.
Topics: Homeland Security News | No Comments »
By Homeland Security NTARC News | July 13, 2007
As senior intelligence and law enforcement officials met again today in the White House Situation Room to deal with the “summer terror threat,” a top terror commander said an attack was coming that would dwarf the failed bombings in London and Glasgow.
Taliban military commander Mansour Dadullah, in an interview broadcast on ABC News’ “World News With Charles Gibson,” said the London attacks were “not enough” and that bigger attacks were coming.
“You will, God willing, be witness to more attacks,” he told a Pakistani journalist in an interview conducted just four days ago.
Just last month, Dadullah presided over what was termed a terror training camp graduation ceremony in Pakistan, supposedly dispatching attack teams to the United States, Canada, Great Britain and Germany.
In this new interview, Dadullah talked about the ease with which he and his men operate inside Pakistan.
“We have many friends,” he said. “It is very easy for us to go in and out of the tribal areas. It is no problem.”
Indeed, the rugged mountains of Pakistan have emerged as a safe haven for al Qaeda and the Taliban.
“They are the central front for al Qaeda,” said Seth Jones, who studies the area for the RAND Corporation, a national security think-tank. “They are the area al Qaeda has based its international and regional operations. It is a very serious threat to the U.S. security,” he said.
Pakistan continues to deny al Qaeda enjoys a safe haven in its territory.
Source -Read More At The Blotter
Topics: Homeland Security News | No Comments »
By News Admin | July 12, 2007
Al Qaeda is stepping up its efforts to sneak terror operatives into the United States and has acquired most of the capabilities it needs to strike here, according to a new U.S. intelligence assessment, The Associated Press has learned.
The draft National Intelligence Estimate is expected to paint an increasingly worrisome portrait of al Qaeda’s ability to use its base along the Pakistan-Afghan border to launch and inspire attacks, even as Bush administration officials say the U.S. is safer nearly six years into the war on terror.
Among the key findings of the classified estimate, which is still in draft form and must be approved by all 16 U.S. spy agencies:
Al Qaeda is probably still pursuing chemical, biological or nuclear weapons and would use them if its operatives developed sufficient capability.
The terror group has been able to restore three of the four key tools it would need to launch an attack on U.S. soil: a safe haven in Pakistan’s tribal areas, operational lieutenants and senior leaders. It could not immediately be learned what the missing fourth element is.
Read More
All Credit to National Terror Alert at: http://www.nationalterroralert.com/
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Brian Ross and ABC News' The Blotter Reports of July 13, 2007
Signal to Attack? Worries Over Latest al Qaeda Tape
July 13, 2007 12:36 PM
Brian Ross and Rhonda Schwartz Report:
Fearing a possible coded signal to attack, U.S. intelligence and law enforcement officials are studying an unusual pattern of words in the latest audiotape from al Qaeda's No. 2 man, Ayman al Zawahri.
On the tape, posted on the Internet Wednesday, Zawahri repeats one phrase three times at the end of his message.
Have I not conveyed? Oh God be my witness.
Have I not conveyed? Oh God be my witness.
Have I not conveyed? Oh God be my witness.
A new FBI analysis of al Qaeda messages, obtained by the Blotter on ABCNews.com, warns that "continued messages that convey their strategic intent to strike the U.S. homeland and U.S. interests worldwide should not be discounted as merely deceptive noise."
Intelligence analysts are also investigating technical clues that Zawahri's most recent audio message was phoned in via computer phone, using voice over Internet Protocol, or VoIP.
The ease and frequency of Zawahri's propaganda messages is one of the factors that have led U.S. intelligence analysts to worry about a possible attack against the United States this summer.
The new FBI analysis, reviewing more than 70 al Qaeda messages over the last 14 years, found a recurring theme of "the duty to kill Americans -- both military and civilian."
Do you have a tip for Brian Ross and the Investigative Team?
All Credit to ABC News and Brian Ross at:http://blogs.abcnews.com/theblotter/2007/07/signal-to-attac.html
and
Exclusive: Terror Commander: New Attack Will Dwarf Failed Bomb Plot
July 13, 2007 4:37 PM
Brian Ross and Maddy Sauer Report:
As senior intelligence and law enforcement officials met again today in the White House Situation Room to deal with the "summer terror threat," a top terror commander said an attack was coming that would dwarf the failed bombings in London and Glasgow.
Taliban military commander Mansour Dadullah, in an interview broadcast on ABC News' "World News With Charles Gibson," said the London attacks were "not enough" and that bigger attacks were coming.
"You will, God willing, be witness to more attacks," he told a Pakistani journalist in an interview conducted just four days ago.
Photos Inside an al Qaeda/Taliban 'Graduation'
Just last month, Dadullah presided over what was termed a terror training camp graduation ceremony in Pakistan, supposedly dispatching attack teams to the United States, Canada, Great Britain and Germany.
In this new interview, Dadullah talked about the ease with which he and his men operate inside Pakistan.
"We have many friends," he said. "It is very easy for us to go in and out of the tribal areas. It is no problem."
Indeed, the rugged mountains of Pakistan have emerged as a safe haven for al Qaeda and the Taliban.
"They are the central front for al Qaeda," said Seth Jones, who studies the area for the RAND Corporation, a national security think-tank. "They are the area al Qaeda has based its international and regional operations. It is a very serious threat to the U.S. security," he said.
Pakistan continues to deny al Qaeda enjoys a safe haven in its territory.
Exclusive Video Terror Chief: Attack on the U.S. Is Coming
"The problem is people don’t understand the local environment," the Pakistani ambassador to the United States, Mahmud Ali Durrani, told the Blotter on ABCNews.com.
"Pakistan is doing more than its share. We have done a lot, we have captured a lot, we've killed a lot, and we continue to do it not just for your sake, but more so for our own sake," he said.
In testimony before Congress this week, U.S. intelligence officials were straightforward in saying they believe Osama bin Laden is in Pakistan and freely operating there.
"It's not that we lack the ability to go into that space," said Tom Fingar of the office of the Director of National Intelligence.
"But we have chosen not to do so without the permission of the Pakistani government," Fingar told members of Congress who demanded to know why the U.S. did not take more decisive action against a known enemy.
U.S. officials say Pakistan consistently denies the U.S. military permission to go after known al Qaeda training camps.
The situation has grown even worse since February, officials say, when Vice President Dick Cheney traveled to Islamabad to demand Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf take action.
"Their (al Qaeda's) situation is actually better today than it was even then," said the RAND Corporation's Jones.
"The U.S. has provided $5.6 billion in coalition support funds to Pakistan over the past five years, with zero accountability," said Congressman Patrick Murphy, D-Calif., at the hearing.
"Why is Pakistan still being paid these large sums of money, even after publicly declaring that it is significantly cutting back patrols in the most important border area?" he asked.
Do you have a tip for Brian Ross and the Investigative Team?
All Credit to ABC News and Brian Ross at:
http://blogs.abcnews.com/theblotter/2007/07/terror-commande.html