TERROR WATCH
Michael Isikoff and
Mark Hosenball
Menacing Message
How dangerous is Al Qaeda's latest tape?
The FBI, spurred in part by this week's unusually menacing audio message from Ayman Al-Zawahiri, today advised state and local law enforcement officials to expect an increase in Al Qaeda propaganda messages aimed at inciting followers to commit terrorist acts.
FBI and counterterrorism officials stressed today that they have no fresh intelligence about any specific threats—one reason why today's FBI intelligence bulletin, issued in conjunction with the Department of Homeland Security, was blandly worded and low-key in tone.
But privately some analysts are worried about the blunt new message from Zawahiri, the deputy to Osama bin Laden. "It's a little spooky," said one senior official. Seeking to exploit a worldwide Muslim backlash over recent Israeli bombing strikes in Gaza, Zawahiri exhorted followers to "attack the interest of the Jews and the Americans." He then added, "Select your targets, collect the appropriate funds, assembly your equipments, plan [your attacks] accurately, and then charge toward your targets … There is no place today for those who claim that the battlefield with the Jews is limited to Palestine."
Counterterrorism officials and analysts have been debating for the last few days whether Zawahiri's directive to "select your targets" was a direct command to operatives in the field or a more general incitement to sympathizers.
Evan Kohlmann, a government counterterrorism consultant who studies Al Qaeda messages, says the new tape seemed "palpably different" from Zawahiri's usually fiery anti-American tirades. "It's quite rare that he would be this direct and blunt about it," Kohlmann says. "My personal opinion is when he said this"—referring to the "select your targets" line—he "wasn't talking in the abstract, he was saying, 'We're doing it.' It was very much a call to arms."
But counterterrorism officials say that they have no idea what "it" might be—or any hard indicator that a major Al Qaeda strike is imminent, at least not in the United States. There has been no spike in terrorist "chatter" picked up by U.S. surveillance in recent weeks or recent arrests suggesting an operation might be underway, said one official who asked not to be identified talking about intelligence information.
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Member Comments
Posted By: getzel @ 04/11/2008 10:57:24 PM
Comment: Which part of their statements, we only want an Islamic terror state dedicated to the destruction of the West and the Western free speech including the right to criticize and draw cartoons about Islime, do you not understand? Today you give up free speech, tomorrow you get a burqa.
there is no such thing as "moderate Islam".... As Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan said the other day, and I quote, "There is no moderate or immoderate Islam. Islam is Islam and that's it".... Islam is in pursuit of dominance. It wishes to exact its imperialist agenda by force on a worldwide scale
Their statements to the West about piece talks are all intelligence agency disinformation campaigns. Yes piece talks: they are thinking to beat us piece by piece; divide and conquer.
If we only talk we can work out our differences is the goal of these disinformation campaigns. They seek stupid pacifist that lull the country into inaction with false hope and weaken the resolve to confront the attack on free speech; and the Trojan Horse Mosques which bring mandatory Sharia and burqas
Piece Now organizations are all founded and funded by government intelligence agencies at war with the West and the rank and vile members are victims of propaganda and sometimes suicide murderers.
Arabs and Persian Sharia people are at war with The West because Arabs and Persian Sharia people believe Islam can not survive against a free market, free speech to criticize Islam, representative Republic. Yes, Arabs and Persian Sharia people believe Islam is doomed to the trash heap unless freedom to criticize Islam and democracy are eliminated. That is why they send suicide murderers and attack the West. Propaganda, the big lie...
Arab, if only Israel...is only an excuse, propaganda, for Islamic terror; as we see that wherever the Moslems bump against another culture the Moslems say the same thing they say about Israel. In India: same thing: in Kosovo: same thing: In Israel: same thing. In Darfur: same thing. In Thailand: same thing, the Philippines: same thing. Wherever the Moslems are contiguous with another people: The Moslems say the same thing they say about Israel: If only: Sharia...and no freedom of speech to criticize Islam.
Intelligence analyst: Getzel
Posted By: eddiewhere @ 04/07/2008 12:53:36 AM
Comment: All Americans all willing to sacrifice for this great country. It is not the first time we have saved a nation. In fact, we have saved the modern world from Hitler, Communism and now FUNDAMENTALISTs who are indoctrinating all Muslims around the world, of all races to wage JIHAD. GOD HAS SENT US TO DEFEAT FUNDAMENTALIST ALL AROUND THE WORLD. EVEN THE ONES THAT LOOK LIKE US. AL QUEDA IS ACTIVELy RECRUITING WESTERN LOCAL INDIVIDUALS TO WAGE JIHAD.
We HAVE SHOWN THE WORLD WE CAN FIGHT AND WILL DEFEND OUR FREEDOM AT ALL COSTS. THIS IS WHY you have the freedom of sPeech SAM. BECAUSE the AMERICAN ARMy kicks a== and no fighting force on this Planet can match us. WE are Willing to Take heavY losses. THE WORLD THOUGHT WE WERE WEAK and would back down from a FIGHT. HUSSEIN was a mass BUTCHER. A RUTHLESS BULLY. We annihalated him and now he laYs in a grave beside his two sick dead sons in Tirkirt. GOD BLESS AMERICA. AMERICA STANDS UP TO THOSE BULLIES WHO THE WORLD CANNOT HANDLE.
THE Problem is, the CHINESE government thinks theY can do what theY want all the time. Their theft of coPYrighted material is
unPrecedented in WORLD HISTORY. NEVER HAS ONE NATION STOLE so MUCH.
WE ARE ABOUT TO LET THE CHINESE GOVERMENT know that theY cannot do as theY Please with us as theY do with their own PeoPle.
TIANANMEN SQUARE MASSACRE involved the Chinese Government killing their own PeoPle. We honored our Vietnam Vets bY building the VIETNAM memorial. The Chinese should unveil their memorial for the Chinese victims who were run over bY tanks, on direct orders from their own government, at the uPcoming OLYm ics.
goldenstars i see what You ar trYing to saY However it is a flawed argument.
Communism is about controlling individual freedom. The Chinese government massacared their own PeoPle. THAT IS A FACT. IT haPPened a couPle of years ago.
WE the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA are THE WORLD"S ONLy SUPERPOWER. WE SAVED THE IRAQIS, SOUTH KOREANS, VIETNAMESE, EUROpE, the Great British EmPire, BOSNIA, and the CHiNESE IN MANCHURIA.
WE can annhilate anY nation in thirtY five minutes.
WE need a President who can handle CHINA AND RUSSIA.
THE KURDS LOVE US. WE DESTROyED SADDAM and exPosed him for the coward he reallY is.
WE SAVED IRAQ. Unfortunately, it took the Iraqi's a while to realize they should work with us so they can Preserve their freedom. All Iraqils aPPreciate their freedom. SOON they will be willing to die for their freedom just like us AMERICANS. GOD BLESS AMERICA THE GREATEST NATION ON EARTH.
Russia WAS a suPerPower. WE WON THE COLD WAR AND WON VIETNAM IN THE LONG RUN.
AS A RESULT there are manY VIETNAMESE LIVING THE AMERICAN DREAM.
The Vietnamese should build their own memorial for the one million VIETCON that were eliminated by our suPERIOR AMERICAN FORCES. OBVIOUSLy your weaPons were out of date and could not stoP the Napom.
Posted By: sam333 @ 04/02/2008 7:32:33 PM
Comment: Dear "eddiewhere" if you care so much about Iraq's freedom and believe that "GOD SENT AMERICA TO SAVE IRAQ FROM SADDAM"...... YOU GO THERE AND FIGHT FOR IT, DONT JUST TALK THE TALK. you glorify this "war" to some religious crusaide. People are dying over every day. Would you die for this cause?.....Didnt think so!