TA-THREATS: Credible Intel on Al Qaeda Plots to Bomb New York City

Originally posted by Mynaeris
I don't mean to sound rude, but how many of the people in posting on this thread are actually from New York or Washington and secondly even in the states?

Its much easier sitting in Uzbhekistan and saying well there isn't really any cause for concern, than living in New york City and saying oh well life goes on.

I live in NYC. If I think about it too much, sure, I get concerned. But I've lived in some other places where terror is sadly a fact of life, and you just can't let it get to you. Time enough for fear after the bomb goes off (if you're still around). Also, I think it's important to maintain an objective eye. You can't let fear of terror cloud your independent judgment. Fear informs the poorest decisions.

-koji K.

As pretty much every knows, I moved to the general geographical center of North America after witnessing the Pentagon attack and sniper shootings. Then I read yesterday that there was an incident at the Minneapolis/St. Paul airport.

It is really, really easy to slip from Canada into the US, and even easier for a person of Middle Eastern descent to slip from Mexico into the US, given the similiar complexions (sorry about generalizing, it's just a fact).

I was an independent contractor in DC, but now I work for a conference center (blessedly almost 2 stories underground), and although I don't change my life habits every time the security level is raised, I wish to God they had used it on 9/11. Sheesh, I wish the Emergency Broadcast System had gone off.

Sorry, had to edit to bring up a slightly frightening fact. There are hundreds, and I mean hundreds of refugees being moved here on a regular basis to avoid overcrowding in the cities. They are primarily from Somalia, the Sudan, and Bosnia. I see at least twenty or thirty Muslims dressed in traditional clothing every day. My neighbours are Somali refugees who scream their prayers throughout the day. SpOoKy. I'm not afraid of them, but the thought has crossed my mind once or twice about the damage they are capable of doing, especially with the availability of certain compounds and key ingredients that local farmers use.

Not a sermon, just a thought

So, if it's a matter of people saying the sky is falling (a very good pun, by the way), I know that I'm one of those who'll look up to decide for myself.



[edit on 2-8-2004 by dotgov101]

I wandered onto a site:

hi res pics

And found something a little strange. Although none of the school I've attended have offered Arabic, most links are posted in English in the properties toolbar.

I found a page of idyllic and boring images.

Key point number one, if you try to open the thumbnail, you end up with a broken link. However, if you right-click on the thumbnail, save the image to your hard drive, you get a high-resolution photograph. Either the author of the site has an IQ of my shoe size, or perhaps these images mean things.

Half of them look like stock photography. Things that one would see on a Hallm@rk card. Things that if you glanced at once you'd remember what they were of. Roses, leaves, a sunset, etc...all of which look like they were taken and enhanced by a professional imaging and printing company.

The OTHER half, however, resemble amateur shots of mountains, some with snow. In one of the thumbnails, you can even see a well-built compound next to a waterfall.

Another pic stuck out, a picture with flames. Now the disturbing part: in the source code, the title of each photo is:

GOTCHA.

-The Clinical Insomniac.

Forgive me if I am wrong but I have not seen any reference to where this "credible" intelligence comes from. I am very dubious , now, of claims of such intelligence, after the mess ups of government run/supported intelligence agencies. I have to assume this is just propaganda.

I read somewhere this intelligence is from overseas? Some guy in a cafe saying he would bomb the US if he could, I just don't know anymore.

Our "intelligence" agencies have proved to be less than intelligent lately.

If someone has links to the true source post them up please.

[edit on 2-8-2004 by Kriz_4]

Could this be another "wolf" tactic?

Should we not be at Orange alert if there was a "serious" threat?

You cry wolf enough and pretty soon nobody listens, it becomes a part of everyday life. How are we ever going to take the intelligent men seriously - or maybe that is the whole point.

By all criticsm from my point of view against the Homeland Security measures I seriously doubt that any of it is faked respectively staged at all.

Just imagine how many people would need be informed and must shut up about tricking the whole citizenship. I am afraid those threats are real and I am sure the officials act with best motives.

i've heard the claims too of the computer geek with info on his pc

but i haven't heard any mentions of recently captured Ghaliani, I would think he would be the source of new threats and info.

Originally posted by worldwatcher
but i haven't heard any mentions of recently captured Ghaliani, I would think he would be the source of new threats and info.

rangeroftheeast posted some interesting information regarding Ghailani yesterday on another thread. I tend to agree with him that the information they have learned from him set off this increase in the terror alert.

I found this AP report on Steve Quayle's site - Ghailani

Pakistani intelligence agents found plans for new attacks against the United States and Britain on a computer seized during the arrest of a senior al-Qaida suspect wanted for the 1998 twin U.S. embassy bombings in East Africa, the information minister said.

Can I just throw another wrinkle in this? This weekend there was a report of Zarqawi being captured on the Iraqi/Syrian border. For hours and hours the report went undenied by the U.S. military. As far as I know the Iraqi police, who were allegedly involved in the arrest, NEVER said anything concerning the reports. The curious thing is that even after the U.S. military denied the reports, the mid-eastern news agencies continued to update the stories concerning the arrest.

Just something to think about....and he was supposed to have been captured on the 29th.

[edit on 8-2-2004 by Valhall]

Actually, as I understand it, this latest "threat" came from a recently arrested 25 year old Al Qaeda computer geek.

This man MUST be extremely credible, eh?????

Originally posted by dgtempe
Actually, as I understand it, this latest "threat" came from a recently arrested 25 year old Al Qaeda computer geek.

ThisDG, there is man MUST be extremely credible, eh?????

dg, there is alot more to this guy other than being young, remember, many of todays' hackers/ virus writers are in their teens to early twenties.
For more information on the computer geek, look at the following URL to see just how dangerous he really is:
www.fbi.gov...

I admit he looks mean....but he's an alledged criminal....

Do you know that out of all the "posted hijackers" of 911, only 5 were real, the others were alive and well, thankyou, and living in other countries? Still alive by the way...and wondering why they were framed.

I cannot beleive anything this GOV says anymore. This hoopla will be for the benefit of Bush in the end.

I still think its interesting that these most wanted terrorists on the FBI's listed are not listed as being wanted for the 911 attacks.

The Bush Administration are is so stupid. Why don't they just have
Tom Ridge Leak to "Fox News" that the Terrorist Thread is from an
Al-Queda Agents Laptop Captured in Pakistan Recently? Oh Wait I think they are - in the Usual Subliminal way. I guess the question become is think Data Old or Relevant?

You got it lucidvision....
This was OLD information that was not utilized in the past.
It gives no timescale of an attack,
it had no details of any current planned attack,
there is no indication from it that an attack is in the near future.

So they have stationed securty around the buildings now, will they stay there for the next 10 years?

Nice timing, difusing the outflow of the democrat convention, nicely changing the topic and refocusing the attention on the hard working republicans....

Originally posted by lucidvisions
Our goverments usual scare tactics at work....

I just Read my Last Post - Sorry about the Spelling - The Time Stamps on ATS are Incorrect. I wrote that at 6:30 AM and I was Half Sleeping - Lucid Indeed!!!

So this makes that Bush IS Playing Politics with Terrorism. Just as long as both Candidates promise not to "HomeLand Security" Funding - what are you going to do? I got used to all the Games that were being Played Since 9/11!!!

for those of you that think this isn't real, let me say a few things.

#1. this has already cost the city something like a billion dollars. I highly doubt the gov't would allow this much spending and activity over a phony release.

#2. Ridge has said that the information they gathered shows that the buildings in question were under surveillance prior to 9/11 BUT the information obtained showed that these specific buildings were still being monitored.

#3. personal experience time. I live 4 blocks from the Citicorp building. The area is tight, and has been since Sunday. Cops are standing in the street directing all trucks away from the building. I watched as one moron tired to drive around the cops (idiot didn't know why the cop was directing him away). Three cops all reaching for their guns as the driver came to his senses and turned away from the cops. They pulled the guy over and searched his van and gave him quite an earfull from the other cops in the area.

#4. from a client, who spoke with a military analyst friend of his: "this is very real and very serious."

Crakeur,

I am going to make this comment because this whole thing going on in NY and all over this country.

We Americans should be horrify of how this government is treating us the citizens of this nations, for anybody that does not know what a dictatorship looks like Crakeur just told us how it looks like, he is a New Yorker and he has seen first hand how people is been strip of their liberties in the name of protecting the high interest of big corporations, this government is not protecting us the people but the big financial institutions.

If people understand what I mean without the political flavor in it you will agree with me.

The rest you are welcome to bash me but (no name calling please)

Actually marg, I understand how you must be feeling.

One thing I mentioned in another topic was this:

While in Florida, visiting friends, last year I was watching some TV on a hot day when suddenly a big band of colour with text saying that it was an em,ergency broadcast test. My friend explained that once they occured once or twice a year, but know were nearly everyday.

I find this disturbing, it is no wonder so many people over there are reacting in extremes and becoming some what paranoid. That kind of thing really isnt neccesary and I believe iit must be bad for the citizens peace of mind.

Thanks your understand my point.