The current stuff in the media suggests discrete attacks against financial institutions, not any attacks that might endanger carrier groups.
For the reasons set forth in the debka article, because there is no time frame, and because the surveillance of the financial institutions began before 9/11, I'm having some difficulties with the current threat. I obviously acknowledge that I don't have the full story.
Read the transcript of yesterday's news conference. It left me singularly unimpressed.
drudgereport.com
Here's what was said that interested me:
I think the indications are that this has been a very long standing effort on the part of al-Qaeda, that it dates from before 9-11; it continued after 9-11 and based on what it is that we are concerned about, we know about in terms of al-Qaeda's plans and intentions that it probably continues even today, in terms of preparations and acquiring additional information that would allow them in their mind to optimize the chances of success.
So I think the scope of the information, the breadth of it, indicates it's been going on for quite some time and it was conducted over an extended period of time, probably by many individuals.
QUESTION: Is that what you believe or does that mean that you think since 9-11 (inaudible)
SENIOR INTELLIGENCE OFFICIAL: I believe that since 9-11 they have been able to acquire additional information on these targets here in the United States, yes, I do.
QUESTION: Have there been recent events that have not been reported that would be (inaudible) that you're talking about of this plot, this plan that would be where this information comes from?
SENIOR INTELLIGENCE OFFICIAL: I don't think I'll get into the details of where it came from. Let me give you two perspectives. The first is we have a strategic backdrop of disruptions that goes back to the take down of senior al-Qaeda leaders like (inaudible) Mohammad and Abu Zubaydah. We have over time developed a clarifying picture of this organization and what they're trying to do to us, strategically understanding them as an adversary. Within the past days, we've acquired additional information that give a remarkable level of clarity and that information is very fresh, but it comes against a strategic backdrop that we've been worried about for a long time.
That is about as much weasel language as I can tolerate.
Anyway, the carrier deployments--which I assume take a lot of time to plan for--don't seem related to this latest threat.
We'll see. |
