Is Al Qaeda Capable of Attacking the US?
Its Plans to Attack America are Active and Nuclear
The information that al Qaeda is pressing ahead with its plans to attack the United States comes from three sources.
One was mentioned by the US intelligence director Mike McConnel this week, when he said: It [al Qaeda] probably will continue to devote some effort towards honoring bin Laden?s request in 2005 that al Qaeda attempt to strike the United States, affirmed publicly by current al Qaeda leader Abu Ayyub al-Masri in a November 2006 threat against the White House.?
Then there are the high-value al Qaeda captives in American custody, who over the years have insisted under interrogation that a repeat of 9/11 and additional attacks in the American homeland have never been taken off the terrorist organization's operational agenda.
But no hard facts were ever elicited on how such attacks were to be implemented. Any particulars received turned out to be incorrect.
The third source is the multifarious theological texts published on the organizations websites.
These texts, which are not in general circulation, appear aimed at briefing network and cell commanders across the world on al Qaeda?s preparations for an attack on the United States.
The credibility of the information contained in these tracts is hard to establish as is their purpose. Are they meant as morale-boosters for al Qaeda forces in the field, general guidelines for action by the networks, or a real-life plan of action building up toward implementation? No one can tell for sure.
Some al Qaeda experts have learned how to distinguish from their style, their operational content, names, places or dates, which of these documents are worth treating more seriously than others, with respect to the threat to the United States.
Al Qaeda's masterminds have never been caught red-handed
Counter-terror sources report that the most recent Internet text to be regarded by these experts as worth serious consideration is dated the night of the 25th of the second month of the Hijra year 1428, which corresponds to May 13, 2007.
It is signed by Abdul Abu Kandahar al Zarqawi [named for al Qaeda?s commander in Iraq] and Siyalon bin Abdullah a-Salafi al-Shemi [for the Nations of the East].
Both are clearly made-up names, but the al Qaeda chiefs whom the operational content of the text concerns certainly know who is addressing them.
A number of points have convinced our intelligence experts to address its content:
The writers affirm that the orders to attack the United States have already gone out and the attackers have reached their departure points - whether or not inside America is not specified and await their last instructions from Osama bin Laden before setting out on their final journey.
That instruction has not yet been issued [as of May, 2007].
Many terror experts note that al Qaeda has never since 2001 been able to bring off an attack inside America. Our sources point out a permanent feature of all al Qaeda operations: One is never approved unless its planners are absolutely certain that, whether it succeeds or fails, no leads to the masterminds and controllers will be left for Western intelligence to follow, and no clues to the military, intelligence and financial mechanisms which orchestrated the attack and brought the perpetrators to target.
In seven years, al Qaeda has managed to uphold this principle. Never so far in the war on terror has any counter-terror agencies cracked these mysteries.
This document states clearly for the first time that the next attack on American cities, especially New York, will be nuclear [not a bomb but some kinds of radioactive substance that contaminates the environment].
This reference ties in with data incoming from other sources in the last two years.
The bombers wait only for Osama bin Laden's say-so
The text also lists the US cities to be targeted, with New York at the top, followed by Los
Angeles, Philadelphia, Washington, Seattle and Houston.
Here follows an approximate summary of the text:
Link to the original
The operations are ready but we are awaiting orders from the Supreme Commander, Osama bin Laden. He will decide when to strike, what to hit and what not, and how long to wait.
We shall pursue the following operations and bring about the fall of the United Atheistic States of America.
A quality attack is planned for the big and the biggest towns of America and its economic centers.
For some of these operations nuclear weapons will be used. It will be executed with the help of trucks which are undetectable. [DNW: A clue to American vehicles driven by terrorists capable of posing as authentic Americans].
The operation will employ ruses and tactics that will astonish the Americans.
Because we already know that you [Americans]) take no notice of our warnings, we will be forced to carry out further operations without mercy, because you have brought destruction on your own heads by refusing a hudna (truce).
[This is a reference to bin Laden?s offer to the Bush administration of a truce in an audiotape released Jan. 20, 2006 - provided US forces quit Iraq and Afghanistan.]
All these blows will land on you [the American people] because of your support for the White House robbers and your concurrence in their deeds.
In the first wave, five cities and one state will be struck.
The first is New York, the United States? economic nerve center where Allah proved for the first time that He is with us. [9/11]
Target: The fall of the United Atheist States to the mujaheddin
The second is Los Angeles, the most important West Coast city of the Atheistic Union.
The third is Florida, from which many funds reach the East Coast [the meaning is unclear] and which is the location of the Kennedy Space Center, which will also be struck.
We will of course not omit Washington.
The fall of the American capital into the hands of the mujaheddin will be one of the most important events of the New Era.
Seattle will be targeted as America's strategic center on the Canadian border; and Texas as the center of the big oil companies in which Bush, Cheney, Rice and Rumsfeld have stakes.
In consequence of these attacks, the American economy will collapse; death and permanent injuries will result from nuclear damage; the American people will lose faith in its government and its centers will break down.
All this will lead to the evacuation of American forces from their places of deployment, because they will be needed to care for the desperately injured at home.
Some may decide not to return to the United States but rather seek asylum in other countries.
US military deployments will rapidly fall apart in their world bases, as officers and men come to blows, regular payments stop reaching the units and fuel supplies are no longer delivered to the army, air force, navy and armored units.
Young Muslims will obey the dictates of Allah, which include the liberation of Muhammad?s Island from the rule of Ali Saud, liberation of the eastern bank of the Jordan River from the American family which rules there and great progress for beloved Palestine.
[source: e-mail]