New report warns al-Qaeda still determined to attack U.S.
By Joby Warrick
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, January 25, 2010
When al-Qaeda's No. 2 leader Ayman al-Zawahiri called off a planned chemical attack on New York's subway system in 2003, he offered this chilling explanation: The plot to unleash poison gas on New Yorkers was being dropped for "something better," Zawahiri said in a message intercepted by U.S. eavesdroppers.
The meaning of Zawahiri's cryptic threat remains unclear more than six years later, but a new report warns that al-Qaeda has not abandoned its goal of attacking the United States with a chemical, biological or even nuclear weapon.
The report, by a former senior CIA official who led the agency's hunt for terrorists' weapons of mass destruction, portrays al-Qaeda's leaders as determined and patient, willing to wait for years to acquire the kinds of weapons that could inflict widespread casualties.
The former official, Rolf Mowatt-Larssen, draws on his knowledge of classified case files to argue that al-Qaeda has been far more sophisticated in its pursuit of weapons of mass destruction than is commonly believed, pursuing parallel paths to acquiring weapons and forging alliances with groups that can offer resources and expertise.
(More here.)
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, January 25, 2010
When al-Qaeda's No. 2 leader Ayman al-Zawahiri called off a planned chemical attack on New York's subway system in 2003, he offered this chilling explanation: The plot to unleash poison gas on New Yorkers was being dropped for "something better," Zawahiri said in a message intercepted by U.S. eavesdroppers.
The meaning of Zawahiri's cryptic threat remains unclear more than six years later, but a new report warns that al-Qaeda has not abandoned its goal of attacking the United States with a chemical, biological or even nuclear weapon.
The report, by a former senior CIA official who led the agency's hunt for terrorists' weapons of mass destruction, portrays al-Qaeda's leaders as determined and patient, willing to wait for years to acquire the kinds of weapons that could inflict widespread casualties.
The former official, Rolf Mowatt-Larssen, draws on his knowledge of classified case files to argue that al-Qaeda has been far more sophisticated in its pursuit of weapons of mass destruction than is commonly believed, pursuing parallel paths to acquiring weapons and forging alliances with groups that can offer resources and expertise.
(More here.)
Powered by Blogger
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home