Al Qaeda May Be Plotting Holiday Attacks

Exclusive: Holiday Travel Season Violence In Europe Would Target Trains, Planes, Al Qaeda Suspects Say

(CBS) 
"We believe that today the Arabs are much more useful to bin Laden if they are deployed in their home countries, particularly in the Middle East, to target Western assets, Western interests. Because of that we have seen a shift in al Qaeda thinking and al Qaeda strategy in encouraging members to leave Afghanistan and Pakistan," says Gunaratna.

Arab intelligence sources tell CBS News the militants have left Afghanistan by routes taking them through the former Soviet Republic, Pakistan and Dubai.

Sources confirmed that some of the militants traveled through Iran. But they also warned that it would be an exaggeration to state that Iran had become the main transit point for al Qaeda militants leaving Afghanistan on their return journey to the Arab world.

"We have picked intelligence information suggesting that Iran's Revolutionary Guards had helped some of these Arabs to travel to Iraq. But it would be wrong to say that Iran has become the main route for this," said another Arab diplomat who also spoke on the condition of anonymity.

The diplomat said he believed al Qaeda suspects were also attempting to undertake return journeys through the former Soviet central Asian republics or via Pakistan. "I doubt if al Qaeda would put all of its eggs in one basket — one country. Why would they do that? These people are not stupid. They would never undertake such an operation through just one country," he said.

Iran has acknowledged to the United States it has a number of key al Qaeda figures under "house arrest," including at least one of bin Laden's sons — the suspects have been in Iran since the fall of Tora Bora in 2001.

There is disagreement between security sources and analysts about the amount of freedom those in Iranian custody enjoy and why Iran continues to give them shelter.

Intelligence sources tell CBS News that none of those interrogated upon returning to their home country has provided any specific information about al Qaeda's future plans.

Michael Scheuer, head of the CIA's bin Laden unit until 1999 and now a CBS News consultant on terrorism, said, "it appears now that al Qaeda is sending some of those trained fighters back to increase the pace of the insurgency, some to Iraq and some to the Arabian peninsula."

"It clearly means the security services in the Gulf, on the Arabian peninsula, will be tested by much more experienced people than they're fighting at the moment."

Analysts point to statements in recent months issued by Ayman al Zawahiri, Al Qaeda's number two, calling for attacks on Middle East oil installations.

"What they want to do is to hit something that will affect the Americans very markedly, and they've determined that the oil production facilities, whether it's pipelines or refineries, are something that can really contribute to the war against the United States," Scheuer said.

"It would be a win-win situation. It's taken al Qaeda the better part of a decade to figure out how to attack oil targets without hurting Muslims to any great extent and I think they finally stumbled on to it. The attack early this year on Abqaiq (the world's largest oil production facility in Saudi Arabia) was a failure, but it immediately drove the price of oil up more than $2 a barrel," he said.

Western diplomats said the U.S. administration so far had paid little attention to the movement of Arab fighters, as its bigger interest for now remains the challenge of tackling the Taliban.

[wvopfor81]

snflwr4real
CRACK HEAD THAT NEEDS TO BE *^@@!

%u2018While opinions are arguable, convictions need shooting to be cured.%u2019
- T.E. Lawrence


Dam right Lawrence

[kailumego1]

machnews at, yes the Republican dominated congress gave Bush the power. And this war is "illegal", going to someone's home turf, and claiming to be his or her savior or liberator, when we all know the ulterior motive.

%u201COIL%u2019!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

kailmego1, In the first place the terrorists at no place coming over here and attacking the United states on our home turf.There is nothing illegal about this war, and congress voted to give the president the power to go to war.

[grumpas]

jrr4christ! Most religions are very violent! The bible is full and running over with blood-letting! Most have the premise they are the only true religion, every other religion is false! So therefore should be eradicated from the earth! They have never been able to coexist together! More people have been butchered by religious fighting down through the centuries than for any other reason! These are cold hard facts even a lot of Christian's can not deny!

[kailumego1]

It's an embarrassment how some nameless individuals are arguing over the U.S.'s strategic methods in Iraq, when, in reality, we have no business there in the first place.

The supporters of this "illegal" war have to be mindless idiots, with absolutely no intellectual reason.

[kailumego1]

None bothered to do their homework; I mean do a detailed research of the cultural and religious ideology and how it impacted the political structure. For example, how religion and politics intertwined in Iraq, and had a strong variance in Iraqi life, this should have been carefully researched and scrutinized.

Most Americans are so caught up in their malignant narcissism or pseudo-superiority to be objective.

Our country has created a REAL political MESS, with which we have absolutely no recourse but to become interlocked in a painstaking battle that could take decades or even centuries to end.

This is another Vietnam, but much, much worst, and this moron of a president has locked America into what has become the bloodiest war in U.S. history.

And what%u2019s worst, the individuals who continue to support this moron are no better than those who supported Hitler and carried out his mass annihilations.

Americans argue how long do we have to stay in this war?

Well, prepare yourself for the long haul, this president has committed America to a no win situation, by which we have been locked into a limitless time frame.

I can%u2019t understand the reasoning of some individuals, and this goes across the board, especially those whom are educated.

[kailumego1]

How in the world can supposed intelligent people not see the road ahead, considering the historical events which clearly demonstrated this possibility, i.e. Yugoslavia, Rwanda, etc.

Here are two groups, the Kurds and Shiites, who were systematically oppressed by Sunnis for years, to have that veil of oppression lifted in a most unorthodox method, what did you think would happen.

When the Belgium government pulled out of Rwanda and turned the power over to the Hutus, it wasn%u2019t unconceivable to imagine this type of mass murder would occur.

After the Belgium government had oppressed the Hutus, while the Tutsis were given political/economical access to upward mobility.

And now Iraq, the ruler for decades was a Sunni, he had oppressed the Kurds and Shiites, and then the unconceivable occurs, the U.S. with its military hegemony invades this country to create democracy.

This sovereign country that never opted for the U.S.%u2019s help in the first place, encroached and took into custody its ruler, by force, all in the name of democracy.

And what%u2019s frightening the mindset of some of the American people to buy into this %u201Cpropaganda%u201D.


After this disaster we are going to label a %u201Cjoke%u201D, a useless negotiator for peace, we will lose our credibility internationally, because so-called intellectuals were MIA%u2019S when pivotal decisions were being made.

The U.S. has the power to make our current situation either a war between cultures, or a war against criminals intent on causing both cultures grave harm. The war we can win is the war against criminals.

[Syndicate]

Here is how you smuggle liquid explosives on an air plane: First you... Well in the off chance that terrorist have not thaught of this I will not help them. If any law enforcement would like to know what I know they should feel free to contact me. I can tell you this there is a way to do this. It would be extremely difficult to stop and could probably only be done with profiling. As for Iraq the problem is beuracracy and over site. Ever go to the DMV now you understand the Iraqis frustration. For example the electric system worked great under saddam. Why because if saddam said fix it and you didn't, well. IF we want to fix it we have to send out a request for bids. After that the beuracracy kicks in and makes everything take longer and cost a fortune. I work for a local government. One time it took me two days to buy spray paint. I had to fill out a request for funds then I had to find some one willing to deal with our BS then. When I finaly purchased it, I was told it was the wrong kind. I thought stripping paint was stripping paint. Same thing with Katrina Beuracracy killed people.

[jrr4christ]

Part II
Do I have a solution for the current mess in Iraq? Not really. I do think, that we should begin to pull our troops out of their cities, with the exception of some advisors and trainers to continue forming an Iraqi military and police force. The rest of our troops should protect the infrastructure, ie. oil refineries/pipelines, power plants, airports etc. Our troops would still be in a position to intervene if the situation should take a turn for the worse.
I support our troops just as I support Vietnam Vets for what they did. I am proud of their accomplishments, I only wish, that the political leadership would support them as well.
Republicans, Democrats, who cares, ultimately they all look out for their own interest-money. Our troops die for all the Haliburtans, KBR's as well as for the oil and arms industry. Those are the only ones truly benefiting in this war, just as they did in Vietnam.
Unless we as Americans unite,say enough is enough, and effect a drastic regime change, ie. third party, things in this great nation of ours are only going to get worse for the average Citizen. Just food for thought. And "Happy" Veterans Day

[jrr4christ]

I am a Christian, a disabled Vet and a patriot. I am also originally from Germany and came here at the age of 21. The first thing I did, after arriving in this great country was to seek a recruiter and join the army, where I eventually served honorably for over 13 years. I felt it my duty and priveledge to serve the country, that had given me a new home.
With that said, here are a few points about the war and our goverment. First, Islam is a peaceful religion, very similar to Christianity. The only difference is that they failed to recognize Jesus as the Messiah and do not believe in a triune God. Secondly, their religion went astray shortly after Mohammed's death and has been ever since. Christianity experienced similar events over its life span, during the crusades, the inquesition and in most recent history,Catholic and Protestant violence in N. Ireland. Neither Christianity nor Islam are essentially bad, just because humans used their faith to justify their own selfish agendas by distorting and twisting the word of God.
As for our involvement in Iraq, I strongly believe that we should have dealt with Osama Bin Laden in Afganistan first, finished the job, and if justified dealt with Iraq afterward. I served in Iraq during Desert Shield/Storm and luckily never experienced any hostility from Iraqis. I also know, that many Arab countries have citizens sympethatic to Americans, despite of what the media would have as believe.

[bob_burd]

Muslims will surely want to kill us all, from now until eternity, as surely as I will take a bowel movement every morning.

Selah

[bob_burd]

This is news? What a revelation.

Selah

[besscannon-2009]

Hey, why hasn't any of our higher up minds figured out that we have to learn to be sneaky, sneakier than them and, since we don't believe in absolute cruelty, we have to find some way to put fear into the fearless idiots. I say "idiots" because I think the terrorists are an unhinged bunch. Have you ever looked at the expression, or lack of, in their eyes? It is a dead look as if they have already accepted death, therefore, do not fear it, so, we cannot frighten them. The only thing to do with their type is to wipe them out as they want to do to us. To do that, I do believe we have to get over being so wimpy and fight them on their own terms. Otherwise, we will NEVER defeat them.
BIG GUN

[katwomansrevenge]

Kick them out of the country , and send them home .

gatortracks made a single statement at 06:25 PM : Nov 10, 2006, he states: IT IS VERY IMPORTANT AS AMERICANS TO UNITE.AS AMERICANS WE FACE A GREATER THREAT TO OUR FREEDOM THAN EVER BEFORE IN AMERICAN HISTORY. He either needs a lesson on what freedom means or is very young or is not a soldier in Iraq. As no terrorists can endanger our freedom, they can cause losses of human lives, and create problems. But they cannot endanger our freedom. I spent three years of my life in that desert and only recall having internet access once. And it was not so I could surf CBSNews.com

[scouser345-2009]

Janem4 - Right, religous muslim fundamentalist are a true threat to America and the civilized world. Instead of overthrowing secular govenments and creating quagmires, maybe genius should focus his attention on the real threat

[marcelde]

TWO SERIOUS QUESTIONS THAT NEED TO BE ANSWERED BEFORE WE TRY TO DEVELOP ALTERNATIVES TO STAY THE CURSE :

"The Pentagon is conducting a major review of the militarys Iraq strategy to determine whats going wrong and should be changed to attain U.S. objectives in the war-torn country, the nations top general said yesterday."

1- WHAT, PRECISELY, ARE OUR OBJECTIVES IN IRAQ?

"Gen. Pace said: We should not be signaling to our enemies what were going to do next, he told MSNBC."

2- WHO ARE OUR ENEMIES IN IRAQ?

[marcelde]

TWO SERIOUS QUESTIONS THAT NEED TO BE ANSWERED BEFORE WE TRY TO DEVELOP ALTERNATIVES TO STAY THE CURSE :

"The Pentagon is conducting a major review of the militarys Iraq strategy to determine whats going wrong and should be changed to attain U.S. objectives in the war-torn country, the nations top general said yesterday."

1- WHAT, PRECISELY, ARE OUR OBJECTIVES IN IRAQ?

"Gen. Pace said: We should not be signaling to our enemies what were going to do next, he told MSNBC."

2- WHO ARE OUR ENEMIES IN IRAQ?

[djermano]

I believe it is an Oil issue. Really the US is not so interested in bringing Democracy to a country that does not want it, but to keep the oil and the money from it out of their hands. They get the money, they can buy more and more arms.

To bad Bush doesn't explain things clearly. We are all left guessing, and taking the worse for his silence.

If Bush would tell the truth about Iraqi, and accept some of the mistakes made, then I think the American people would support him. But he has only alienated people.

I think America should only be concerned about keeping the oil out of their hands. Troop levels would focus on Oil Locations. Leave the cities and population areas.

Perhaps build an underground oil pipeline. Or simply close down the wells, with aerial bombings. Just pull the troops out, plug the wells and run security to make sure they stay closed. I think they should forget about the pipeline through Afghanistan. Get the oil out of the Caspian sea another way.

Get out of Afghanistan, and build up our National defenses, and educate the people more about this threat. AlQaida will be defeated.