tsk, tsk, tsk
Terror threat source called into question
Ashcroft cites al-Qaida plan, but how credible is the information?
In warning Americans to brace for a possible attack, Ashcroft cited what he called “credible intelligence from multiple sources,”
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In warning Americans to brace for a possible attack, Ashcroft cited what he called “credible intelligence from multiple sources,” saying that “just after New Year's, al-Qaida announced openly that preparations for an attack on the United States were 70 percent complete.… After the March 11 attack in Madrid, Spain, an al-Qaida spokesman announced that 90 percent of the arrangements for an attack in the United States were complete.”
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But terrorism experts tell NBC News there's no evidence a credible al-Qaida spokesman ever said that.
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The group has claimed responsibility for the power blackout in the Northeast last year, a power outage in London and the Madrid bombing. None of the claims was found to be credible.
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Friday, Ashcroft's spokesman blamed the FBI,
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“To give this group any type of credibility is reckless,” said terrorism expert and NBC analyst Steve Emerson,
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“Portraying this group seriously is simply a reflection of the FBI's continued failures since 9/11 to basically develop an analytic capability at headquarters in assessing terrorist intelligence,” Emerson said.
msnbc.msn.com |
