Details Emerge About Possible Terror Threat

[Roon]

WASHINGTON, Jan. 22, 2007 — Mimicking the hijackers who executed the Sept. 11 attacks, insurgents reportedly tied to al Qaeda in Iraq considered using student visas to slip terrorists into the United States to orchestrate a new attack on American soil.

Lt. Gen. Michael D. Maples, head of the Defense Intelligence Agency, recently testified that documents captured by coalition forces during a raid of a safe house believed to house Iraqi members of al Qaeda six months ago "revealed was planning terrorist operations in the U.S."

At the time, Maples offered little additional insight into the possible terror plot. ABC News, however, has learned new details of what remains a classified incident that has been dealt with at the highest levels of government.

Sources tell ABC News that the plot may have involved moving between 10 and 20 suspects believed to be affiliated with al Qaeda in Iraq into the United States with student visas — the same method used by the 19 al Qaeda terrorists who struck American targets on Sept. 11.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=2813235&page=1

[originalpckelly]

1. Why is my skeptic siren going off?

:shrug:

[originalpckelly]

2. Oh here we go:

"The plan was uncovered in its early stages, and sources say there is no indication that the suspects made it into the United States. Officials also emphasize that there is no evidence of an imminent attack."

[originalpckelly]

4. It sounds like this came out of one of Bush's speeches...

Just when it looks like people are starting to come around someone yells fire in the theater.

Anyone notice how this just appeared on a day when 3 GOP senators, including John Warner, introduced a resolution against the troop surge?

[ls317]

3. Damn this sounds familer

Lets see... lame duck president, no support for the war.... ass kicking during last election.... I know lets scare the shit out of people

[originalpckelly]

5. I know, this sounds like a line out of one of his speeches.

And on top of that, this was discovered six months ago.

[Wizard777]

6. "If anyone has a better idea of how to run this War."

Come to Iraq and I'll let you in. Wouldn't you know it Al Qaida actually took him up on the offerr and he actually let them in. The Generals should have stuck to shooting off thier guns instead of thier mouthes. That statement's comming back to bite somebody in the ass.

[NoodleyAppendage]

7. BULLSH*T. Hello...D.I.A. and classified sources in WH? MAJOR BULLSH*T.

Submit the documents to scrutiny if it is such a major story...otherwise I would say that ANY American who believes this pre-SOTU propaganda is an idiot (and/or a neocon fascist).

J

[originalpckelly]

8. It really doesn't matter one way or the other...

it's quite clear that this was being sat on until a time when it was needed.

[ripple]

9. I would expect more of this sort of thing

Of course there are a large number of people in Iraq and elsewhere who would like to see Americans die for our government's illegal actions.

It sounds like this "threat" didn't even make it off of the drawing board, but there will undoubtedly be those that do. The question is how many generations into the future we want to continue perpetuating western hatred? And how do we best mitigate the damage that's already been done?

[originalpckelly]

10. I don't think you see the real problem here...

I don't know if anyone thinks this is a fake threat, the issue is that this information which was discovered six months ago is being released on an important day. The key to this one is that this story was leaked. That means they want it out there.

I hope the abuse of their knowledge is clear enough to see for most people, because this is just so blatant.

Today three Republican Senators introduced a resolution against the "surge" of troops to Iraq. The big deal is that John Warner, a solid Republican who is pro-military, is a co-sponsor of the resolution.

http://thinkprogress.org/2007/01/22/warner-iraq-resolution

[ripple]

11. I see your point

And I do believe the timing of the release was definitely manipulated.

I was just looking at how this administration's disastrous foreign policy actions have made our nation less safe, and having them trot out an old terror threat that wasn't really a viable threat misses the larger ramifications of what they've done.

Good God, I hate to say it, but I think I've become so used to their manipulation of the media, it doesn't even give me pause anymore. Thanks for reminding me not to give it a pass, simply because it happens so frequently.