http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/02/09/whitehouse.plots/index.html
WASHINGTON (CNN) – President Bush said Thursday that the U.S.-led global war on terror had “weakened” al Qaeda and cited as proof international efforts that he said had thwarted a terrorist plot to attack Los Angeles.
Members of an al Qaeda affiliate in Asia had planned to crash a commercial airplane into the U.S. Bank Tower in Los Angeles in 2002, Bush said.
In a speech at the National Guard Memorial Building, Bush gave more details on the purported plot.
It was one of a list of 10 terrorist plots that U.S. authorities first released in October 2005.
The list and details from the White House:
- West Coast Airliner plot:
In mid-2002 the United States disrupted a plot to use shoe bombs to hijack a commercial airliner to attack the tallest building in Los Angeles. The plot was “set in motion” by Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, the alleged mastermind of the September 11 attacks.
“Rather than use Arab hijackers, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed sought out young men from Southeast Asia whom he believed would not arouse as much suspicion,” Bush said.
- East Coast Airliner plot:
In mid-2003 the United States and a partner disrupted a plot to use hijacked commercial airplanes to attack targets on the East Coast of the United States.
- The Jose Padilla plot:
In May 2002 the United States disrupted a plot that involved blowing up apartment buildings in the United States. One of the alleged plotters, Jose Padilla, allegedly discussed the possibility of using a “dirty bomb” inside the United States. Bush has designated him an “enemy combatant.”
- 2004 British Urban Targets plot:
In mid-2004 the United States and partners disrupted a plot to bomb urban targets in Britain.
- 2003 Karachi plot:
In spring 2003 the United States and a partner disrupted a plot to attack westerners at several targets in Karachi, Pakistan.
- Heathrow Airport plot:
In 2003 the United States and several partners disrupted a plot to attack London’s Heathrow Airport using hijacked commercial airliners. The planning for this alleged attack was undertaken by a major operational figure in the September 11, 2001 attacks.
- 2004 Britain plot:
In the spring of 2004 the United States and partners, using a combination of law enforcement and intelligence resources, disrupted a plot to conduct large-scale bombings in Britain.
- 2002 Arabian Gulf shipping plot:
In late 2002 and 2003 the United States and a partner nation disrupted a plot by al Qaeda operatives to attack ships in the Arabian Gulf.
- 2002 Strait of Hormuz plot:
In 2002 the United States and partners disrupted a plot to attack ships in the Strait of Hormuz, the entrance to the Persian Gulf from the Indian Ocean.
- 2003 Tourist Site plot:
In 2003 the United States and a partner nation disrupted a plot to attack a tourist site outside the United States. The White House did not list what site that was.
So, the reason i posted this is for a few reasons…
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Is it just the lack of support the Govt is seeing that prompts them to make such press relases.
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Regardless of political strategy, do you want to know this information? (Is it just me, or in a pre 9/11, Iraq war, would these threats have been made public as well?)
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I’m not going to lose any sleep over this, but c’mon, man, thats some serious threats, and I believe it will happen again… just a matter of time.
So, what do we do as a world populace to proactively discourage these acts in the future?