The US Department of Homeland Security has often been accused of crying wolf for raising the alert after overhearing"chatter" on the terrorist grapevine.
This time, however, the US authorities really believe they have caught a rare glimpse of the wolf at work -- an al-Qaeda operation in preparation.
The high alert sounded at financial institutions in New York, New Jersey or Washington was the most specific to date, and it marks the first time this year that the color-coded alert status has been raised to orange (high).
Warning is specific
It is also the first time that the homeland security department has named specific buildings as possible al-Qaeda targets.
The warning is based on the blueprint of a proposed operation found on an al-Qaeda computer belonging to Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani, a Tanzanian-born terrorist suspect arrested in Pakistan last week.
Even more important is the evidence provided by the al-Qaeda computer expert and web manager, Muhammad Naeem Noor Khan, who led investigators to Ghailani.
The computer files pointed to an extensive and meticulous plan to attack a financial target, such as the World Bank, the Citigroup headquarters in New York, or the Prudential Financial building in Newark.
Al-Qaeda operatives had clearly scouted out those buildings, gaining access to upper floors by posing as couriers and delivery men. Ways in and out had been mapped, and the number of potential casualties assessed.
"It is a treasure trove," a US intelligence official said on Sunday. "It provides an incredible level of detail regarding potential targets."
However, there were no clues about the timing of the attacks. Workers at the buildings mentioned on the al-Qaeda files were told to go to work as normal, with instructions only to be concerned.
Tom Ridge, the US homeland security chief, suggested that for "the workers going to work today, there are very anxious moments."
Meanwhile, one tunnel leading into New York was closed to lorries, while police in New York, Newark and Washington were supposed to be stopping cars and lorries near the would-be targets, questioning drivers, and in some cases searching vehicles.
Critics of the measures argued they did more to raise anxiety than to provide real security against attack. Larry Thompson, a former CIA and state department counter-terrorist official, accused the administration of perpetuating "a cry wolf phenomenon".
He added: "You're showing the terrorists that if they make enough of a specific threat, they can shut down a city."
Howard Dean, a former Vermont governor and outspoken Democrat, suggested that the alert was a political ploy by the Bush administration.
Criticism
"I am concerned that every time something happens that's not good for President [George W.] Bush he plays his trump card, which is terrorism," he told CNN. "It is just impossible to know how much of this is real and how much of this is politics."
However, Senator John Kerry, the Democratic party presidential candidate, who was briefed on his campaign bus, disowned Dean's remarks, saying: "I believe you take these threats seriously. I think people of good conscience are working on these issues."
Given the specificity of the al-Qaeda plans uncovered in Pakistan, there was never any question that an alert would be raised.
US intelligence has just emerged from a televised grilling for its failure to spot the warning signs of the Sept. 11 attack. It is not about to repeat the mistake.
PRECARIOUS RELATIONS: Commentators in Saudi Arabia accuse the UAE of growing too bold, backing forces at odds with Saudi interests in various conflicts A Saudi Arabian media campaign targeting the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has deepened the Gulf’s worst row in years, stoking fears of a damaging fall-out in the financial heart of the Middle East. Fiery accusations of rights abuses and betrayal have circulated for weeks in state-run and social media after a brief conflict in Yemen, where Saudi airstrikes quelled an offensive by UAE-backed separatists. The United Arab Emirates is “investing in chaos and supporting secessionists” from Libya to Yemen and the Horn of Africa, Saudi Arabia’s al-Ekhbariya TV charged in a report this week. Such invective has been unheard of
US President Donald Trump on Saturday warned Canada that if it concludes a trade deal with China, he would impose a 100 percent tariff on all goods coming over the border. Relations between the US and its northern neighbor have been rocky since Trump returned to the White House a year ago, with spats over trade and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney decrying a “rupture” in the US-led global order. During a visit to Beijing earlier this month, Carney hailed a “new strategic partnership” with China that resulted in a “preliminary, but landmark trade agreement” to reduce tariffs — but
Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) purge of his most senior general is driven by his effort to both secure “total control” of his military and root out corruption, US Ambassador to China David Perdue said told Bloomberg Television yesterday. The probe into Zhang Youxia (張又俠), Xi’s second-in-command, announced over the weekend, is a “major development,” Perdue said, citing the family connections the vice chair of China’s apex military commission has with Xi. Chinese authorities said Zhang was being investigated for suspected serious discipline and law violations, without disclosing further details. “I take him at his word that there’s a corruption effort under
China executed 11 people linked to Myanmar criminal gangs, including “key members” of telecom scam operations, state media reported yesterday, as Beijing toughens its response to the sprawling, transnational industry. Fraud compounds where scammers lure Internet users into fake romantic relationships and cryptocurrency investments have flourished across Southeast Asia, including in Myanmar. Initially largely targeting Chinese speakers, the criminal groups behind the compounds have expanded operations into multiple languages to steal from victims around the world. Those conducting the scams are sometimes willing con artists, and other times trafficked foreign nationals forced to work. In the past few years, Beijing has stepped up cooperation
RSS