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Politics : Don't Blame Me, I Voted For Kerry -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: longnshort who wrote (35165)	7/12/2004 7:08:29 PM
From: Richnorth	Respond to of 81568

Of course not. I won't like to see a postponement of the elections caused by any means.

To: longnshort who wrote (35165)	7/12/2004 7:18:58 PM
From: Richnorth	Read Replies (3) \| Respond to of 81568

Osama 'directing attack on US' Bush administration officials warn of strike to influence upcoming election straitstimes.asia1.com.sg WASHINGTON - Osama bin Laden and his chief lieutenants, operating from hideouts suspected to be along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border, are directing an Al-Qaeda effort to launch an attack in the United States later this year, according to Bush administration officials. 'What we know about this most recent information is that it is being directed from the senior-most levels of the Al-Qaeda organisation,' said a senior official at a briefing for reporters on Thursday. 'We know that this leadership continues to operate along the border area between Afghanistan and Pakistan.' Top officials from the CIA, the FBI and the Homeland Security Department warned members of Congress on Wednesday that Al-Qaeda could try to launch new attacks in a bid to influence the upcoming US election, a congressman said. All members of the House of Representatives were invited to a closed-door meeting with Federal Bureau of Investigation director Robert Mueller, Homeland Security Undersecretary Asa Hutchinson and Mr John Brennan, a representative of the Central Intelligence Agency. Counter-terrorism officials have said for weeks that they are increasingly worried by a continuing stream of intelligence suggesting that Al-Qaeda wanted to carry out a significant terror attack on US soil this year. But until the comments of the administration officials on Thursday, it was not clear that Osama and top deputies such as Ayman Zawahiri were responsible for the concern. Another official said that the intelligence reports - apparently drawn partly from interviews with captured Al-Qaeda members and from other sources - referred to efforts 'to inflict catastrophic effects' before the election. This official said that the reports did not refer specifically to Osama's instructions or desires, but did make clear that instructions were coming from Al-Qaeda leaders. In discussing the latest threat information, one of the officials said the intelligence was 'cryptic' about both timing and location. There is a widespread assumption in the intelligence community that previous targets - New York, Washington, the Los Angeles airport - all still have symbolic value to Al-Qaeda. There is no specific reference to the coming political conventions, the official said, but that remains an immediate focus of concern. Osama's precise role remains somewhat uncertain. It does not appear that he is trying to take an active leadership role in formulating a specific plan, as he did in preparations for the Sept 11, 2001, attacks, an administration official said. But there is evidence that he is able to communicate with his followers, urging them to carry out operations in the name of the terror network. Mr Tom Ridge, the Homeland Security Secretary, said the intelligence about Al-Qaeda's intentions was credible, even if it lacked specifics. Mr Ridge brushed aside suggestion that the administration was trying to create a widespread sense of unease that might work to President George W. Bush's advantage less than four months before the election. He said he and others in the intelligence field were evaluating information daily, that security had been enhanced at every level in recent months and that he would personally inspect the sites of the Democratic and Republican national conventions, where the Secret Service will be the lead agency overseeing security measures. US intelligence officials are meanwhile scrutinising recent arrests in England, Jordan and Italy of three groups of alleged terrorists because of clues the groups might offer to any Al-Qaeda plans to attack the US this year. -- AP, AFP, Washington Post -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- THE PLOT Counter-terrorism officials are working to gain precise knowledge about the time, place and method of any attack. Possible targets include the Democratic National Convention in Boston and the Republican National Convention in New York. THE PLAYERS Osama bin Laden and his top lieutenant Ayman Al-Zawahiri are overseeing the attack plans from their remote hideouts somewhere along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border, according to senior US intelligence officials. THE PRECAUTIONS The Department of Homeland Security officially opened its state-of-the-art operations centre earlier this week, which will monitor real-time threat information and disseminate it to federal agencies as well as state governments.