ABC News says documents taken from Iraq insurgents detail attack on US

[6SpeedTA95]

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 [AQI] 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.


Watch "World News with Charles Gibson."


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.


U.S. officials now require universities to closely track foreign nationals who use student visas to study in the United States. University officials must report international students who fail to arrive on campus or miss class regularly.


In August, the FBI and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement alerted intelligence agencies and state and local law enforcement about 11 Egyptian students who had failed to report to their classes at Montana State University. The students were ultimately apprehended.


Still, despite the heightened precautions, some security analysts fear that skilled terrorists — handpicked because of their clean records and because they are carefully trained — could still slip through an academic setting.


The plot was discovered six months ago, roughly the same time that Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the leader of al Qaeda in Iraq, was killed by coalition forces. Sources tell ABC News that the suspects involved in the effort to launch the U.S. attack were closely associated with Zarqawi.


The plan also came only months after Ayman al-Zawahiri, al Qaeda's No. 2, had requested that Zarqawi attempt an attack inside the United States.


"This appears to be the first hard evidence al Qaeda in Iraq was trying to attack us here at home," said ABC News consultant Richard Clarke, former chief counterterrorism adviser on the U.S. National Security Council.

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.

The hunt for suspects continues, however, and some fear that al Qaeda recruits in Iraq could be easily redirected.

"Anyone willing to go to Iraq to fight American troops is probably willing to try to come to the United States," Clarke said.

This is rather startling though not particularly surprising. It will be interesting to see hwo the democrat controlled congress reacts to this.

I think we definately need more stringent monitoring of VISA's as well as our borders, something this administration has been fairly lax about, especially on the border. I'm sick of the feel good crap while reality is they do almost nothing to fix the border problem.

[ballz2wallz]

iblibsclaimfearmongering

I think it will take an actual attack on US soil again to make people wake up and realize these types of things are real, real threats, and real people willing to carry them out. It's a shame we've lost sight of 9/11 so soon.

[Pro Street]

Originally Posted by 6SpeedTA95

This is rather startling though not particularly surprising. It will be interesting to see hwo the democrat controlled congress reacts to this.

I think we definately need more stringent monitoring of VISA's as well as our borders, something this administration has been fairly lax about, especially on the border. I'm sick of the feel good crap while reality is they do almost nothing to fix the border problem.

The dems implementing the 9/11 commission suggestions in place with what we currently have is all we can really do.

I'm not going to allow this threat or even another attack to justify giving up even more freedoms.

[6SpeedTA95]

Originally Posted by Pro Street

The dems implementing the 9/11 commission suggestions in place with what we currently have is all we can really do.

I'm not going to allow this threat or even another attack to justify giving up even more freedoms.

I agree with that, but the administration isn't doing shit about our borders and the lameass implementations at airports are pretty

[Pro Street]

Originally Posted by 6SpeedTA95

I agree with that, but the administration isn't doing shit about our borders and the lameass implementations at airports are pretty

I agree.

You'd be shocked if I could tell you what a lot of money goes to. The corruption is just insane.

[Thorgrim]

Why would protecting the land borders help us against student visas?

[Nonphixion]

Originally Posted by Pro Street

I agree.

You'd be shocked if I could tell you what a lot of money goes to. The corruption is just insane.

Pork Barrel government spending, earmarks and Pork Barrel Politics like whoa

$44 million dollars from The Dept. of Homeland Security just to build a fucking Ice Skating Rink in Ohio?

Yeah that's how to cohesively increase our National Security

edit: Sorry for the bump

[RMNIXON]

Originally Posted by ballz2wallz

iblibsclaimfearmongering

I think it will take an actual attack on US soil again to make people wake up and realize these types of things are real, real threats, and real people willing to carry them out. It's a shame we've lost sight of 9/11 so soon.

Probably? But the powers that be should not be suprised at Al-Qeada planning like this even in Iraq? I sure hope not. How much they could actually pull off is another matter but lets avoid as many chances as possible!

There is a major difference between our being safer than we were pre 9/11 and just wishing we could go back to that time in a political sense!