Ashcroft: U.S. foiled 'dirty' bomb attack

[chequita guevara]

Originally posted by DanS
" That's interesting. I wonder if they'd been planning on delaying the anouncment even longer, but said it now to deflect the calls for an independent investigation of the Administration's handling of counter-terrorism. "

You're a cynical bastard, che.

I'd like not to be, but the news said that they'd been planning on announcing the new departement in July, but it moved up to dominate the news on the day when Agent Rowley was testifying before Congress to keep her testimony off the news.

They made me cynical. Otherwise, I' the kinda guy who likes to stand outside in a summer rain storm and splash in the puddles.

[Dr Strangelove]

Originally posted by chegitz guevara


Otherwise, I' the kinda guy who likes to stand outside in a summer rain storm and splash in the puddles.

With your neck tilted back and your mouth wide open, just like baby domesticated Turkeys who have been known to drown in showers?

[Dr Strangelove]

I'd like to know more details, like where they were going to get the radioactive material.

[chequita guevara]

You're mean.

[DinoDoc]

U.S. authorities capture 'dirty bomb' suspect

His associate captured in Pakistan, U.S. officials say

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Federal officials captured a U.S. citizen with suspected ties to al Qaeda who allegedly planned to build and explode a radioactive "dirty bomb" in the United States, the Justice Department announced Monday.

U.S. officials said Washington was the probable target of the plot. FBI Director Robert Mueller said the plot was in the "discussion stage" when the suspect, Abdullah Al Muhajir, was arrested. Mueller said the plot had not gone any further, to the knowledge of U.S. authorities.

Attorney General John Ashcroft said Al Muhajir -- who was born Jose Padilla -- was captured May 8 as he flew into O'Hare International Airport in Chicago, Illinois, from Pakistan. Officials said that in the weeks before he flew to Chicago, Al Muhajir was tracked flying between Pakistan, Egypt and Switzerland.

U.S. officials later said an "associate" of Al Muhajir had been arrested in Pakistan, prior to May 8. It wasn't clear whether this was the "associate" Ashcroft referred to when, in announcing Al Muhajir's capture, he said Al Muhajir was working with someone in Pakistan on plans to build a dirty bomb.
(Full story)

A dirty bomb is a conventional bomb equipped with radioactive material designed to spread over a wide area. Depending on the circumstances of the explosion, the number of deaths and injuries from a dirty bomb might not be substantially greater than from a conventional bomb explosion. But panic over radioactivity and evacuation measures could snarl a city, and the area struck would be off-limits for at least several months during cleanup efforts.
(More on dirty bombs)

Ashcroft said Al Muhajir, 31, would be treated as an "enemy combatant" of the United States, a move that means he has fewer legal rights than an ordinary defendant in a criminal case.

President Bush signed off Sunday night on the decision to treat Al Muhajir as an enemy combatant, senior U.S. officials said, adding that the government faced a Tuesday deadline to decide whether to charge Al Muhajir in the federal court system or turn him over to the Defense Department.

Bush accepted the recommendations of Ashcroft and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, the officials said, and the transfer from Justice Department to Defense Department custody was made Monday morning.

Suspect 'trained with the enemy'
The Justice Department said that Al Muhajir, who was born in New York, served time in prison in the United States in the early 1990s, when he took on his new name. After his release, he traveled to Afghanistan and Pakistan and met with senior al Qaeda officials, Ashcroft said.

"While in Afghanistan and Pakistan, Al Muhajir trained with the enemy, including studying how to wire explosive devices and researching radiological dispersion devices," Ashcroft said. "Al Qaeda officials knew that as a citizen of the United States, as a citizen of the United States holding a valid U.S. passport, Al Muhajir would be able to travel freely in the United States without drawing attention to himself."

U.S. officials said the primary information about Al Muhajir came from Abu Zubaydah, the most senior al Qaeda figure captured by U.S. authorities.

Al Muhajir is being held at the Consolidated Naval Brig in Charleston, South Carolina, according to Pentagon officials. They said the suspect was being held separate from the regular brig population.

"We have acted under the laws of war and under the clear Supreme Court precedent which established that the military may detain a United States citizen who has joined the enemy and has entered our country to carry out hostile acts," Ashcroft said.

Ashcroft made the announcement in Moscow, Russia, where he is meeting with Russian officials to discuss the war on terrorism. (Read transcript)

"To our enemies, I say we will continue to be vigilant against all threats, whether they come from overseas or at home in America," he said.

http://www.cnn.com/2002/US/06/10/dirty.bomb.suspect/index.html

It looks like CNN finally posted a real story. That should satisfy Roland for now.

BTW, does anyone know the answer to my earlier question?

[Jaakko]

Originally posted by Lincoln


Is "eminem" one of those weird rap groups? if they are then they are the enemy!

I hear ya, Lincoln! Whatever happened to old school rap, now that's good music!

On the actual thread subject, I more or less agree with Rollo's (can I call you that Roland? ) cynicism. It all seems terribly convenient, and the info we're getting is lacking to say the least (eg. was he the only operative we caught? does this arrest do anything except making Al-Qaida find another guy to carry the stuff inside the US?).

[Ned]

What bothers me the most is that this appears to confirm our worst fears, the enemy has nuclear material that it can blow up to render a major city unihabitable for months, if not years. The devastation caused by such a weapon would make 9/11 pale by comparison.

Apparently, this guy came to the US only with "plans" to construct the device. Does this mean that al Qaida already has a souce of nuclear material here inside the US? Or can someone simply ship it here as like one can ship a TV? What's more likely?

[TCO]

Roland,

1. Beautiful way of casting aspersions that you don't have to stand behind.

2. I see a lot more concern from you about US overreaction than about the threats we have or the damage we've endured. (Only hitting one side of the argument, counselor.)

3. I can understand being skeptical of US officials...but you should also realize that in some cases full or even partial details of info is not shared with you for secruity reasons. I've had a TS SCI clearance. I've had access to real hush-hush stuff. I've seen that. Have you?

4. During the Gulf War, there was concern that the Bush Admin was exaggerrating the state of Saddam's WOMD program. After our victory, we learned that they were more advanced than had been suspected.

[Ned]

GP, What were you trying to say?

[DanS]

GP is DanS-ing. He edited his post almost a full hour after the original! I can't say as I've ever been that brazen with my editing.

[The Mad Monk]

According to what I heard on the radio tonight, he was "muling" money from Switzerland to the United States; also, being 'tracked' from Zurich to Chicago may be a bit of an understatement -- it's rumored that everyone on that flight, besides the suspect, was FBI, CIA, or a sky marshall.

Do you think they may have turned the metal detectors off for boarding that one?



edit: corrected 'Geneva' to 'Zurich'.

[Roland]

GP:

"1. Beautiful way of casting aspersions that you don't have to stand behind."

So I should not distrust government ? I should suddenly believe what those pathologic liars utter ? Or what's the point ?

"2. I see a lot more concern from you about US overreaction than about the threats we have or the damage we've endured."

You expect a debate on the merits or perils of Al Quaida policy ? Seriously ?
This Bush government is acting lala-land. In the hype, there's an all out war going on. In politics, it's "how can I use this best for my loony and corrupt agenda".

"3. I can understand being skeptical of US officials...but you should also realize that in some cases full or even partial details of info is not shared with you for secruity reasons."

Irrelevant. Politicians are guilty until proven innocent. Keeping that up is civic duty #1.

"I've had a TS SCI clearance."

I hope you have recovered fully by now ?

"4. During the Gulf War, there was concern that the Bush Admin was exaggerrating the state of Saddam's WOMD program."

And during one of Willie's wag the dog operations, there was concern that a certain factory in Sudan is producing nasty things... etc etc....