December 24, 2003

CHILLING NEW WEB THREATS

Alarming messages published on known al Qaeda Web sites are claiming the terror network is about to launch its biggest strikes ever - and are warning Muslims to leave the cities of New York, Washington and Los Angeles.

The statements monitored by U.S. government agencies, as well as by a Washington-based terrorist research group, are part of the alarming increase in "chatter" among terrorist operatives in recent weeks that played a role in the Bush administration's decision to raise the nation's threat alert to high (orange).

Counterterrorism expert Rita Katz, director of the SITE Institute, said her organization has recently found and translated statements on al Qaeda Web site Al-Lewa - Arabic for "The Banner" - that are promising new attacks on U.S. soil in the coming weeks.

Katz said a posting two weeks ago quoted an al Qaeda spokesman identified as Abu Issam al-Yamani as saying, "The next al Qaeda attacks will be most violent and will target the U.S." and urged Muslims "to leave the country if they don't wish to die as a result of a Jihadist operation."

A second message was posted on the same Web site last Thursday, from a group calling itself the Islamic Bayan Movement.

"Our Muslim brothers in America, this is our final warning. We ask you, as fast as you can, to leave the following cities immediately: Washington D.C., New York City, Los Angeles," the message said.

Katz said she noticed al Qaeda's stepped-up cyber propaganda began Nov. 15 after the terror bombings in Istanbul, Turkey when a known al Qaeda group warned in a communiqué that the "death cars will not stop."

Katz said the electronic vitriol has continued almost daily, and just last night a message was published in which al Qaeda's mouthpiece, the Global Islamic Media Society, took delight that Americans are now "living in a state of anxiety and constant fear."

It ended with, "You will forget about Manhattan events. Be prepared."

U.S. government officials say it is impossible to determine whether the message writers may be involved in plotting attacks.

But these officials told The Post last night that the CIA, FBI and National Security Agency consider the messages "pieces of the overall puzzle."

I'm thinking that the idea they the evildoers "took delight...that Americans are now living in a state of anxiety and constant fear" is what it's all about.
I think they're bluffing--hope I'm right.
If you do live in these cities, though, keep your eyes open and stay alert while you do your last-minute Christmas errands and holiday socializing.
The 9/11 attacks were enough for me and everyone else.
(Al Queda desperately needs another successful big attack, however, to continue being a "player" on the world scene or so their sick thinking goes.)
Happily, they don't know what Christmas is like here...!
I'm so tired and preoccupied with what I still need to do for the Big Day, that I don't have the time or the energy to get all worked up about new attacks.
I was happy to learn that with the upgrade of the current Terror Alert to High/Orange, that concrete measures were being put into place by our local, state and federal officials.
We are learning from our past mistakes and it looks as if Homeland Security is trying to earn its tax dollars.
Given that the Islamist killers have indicated that they'll try to use our airplanes again to stage their attacks, one of the cautionary measures put into place is this:
Christmas is in the air, & F-16s, too
I pray to Heaven that our military won't ever have to shoot down a civilian airliner, but if the situation comes to that and the terrorists re-try 9/11-type attacks, it makes me feel a little more secure to know that the Air Force is up there patrolling the skies.
We've also deployed surface-to-air missiles in Washington, D.C. and DHS has implemented other security precautionary measures.
Bottom line: "Bring them on."
We're as ready as we're gonna be, so let's have our Merry Christmas!