Something that was bothering me....

Post #9,462 by addison 9/17/01 1:30:10 PM Reply	Something that was bothering me.... [link\|http://www.stratfor.com/home/0109132130.htm\|Hijacking clues might be red herrings] Addison
Post #9,467 by jb4 9/17/01 1:50:14 PM Reply	Link dead... Can you copy or paraphrase? jb4 (Resistance is not futile...)
Post #9,471 by addison 9/17/01 2:02:34 PM Reply	Check again, worked fine. Summary The terrorists who attacked the World Trade Center and Pentagon Sept. 11 practiced near-perfect operational planning, coordination and execution before their mission but left behind obvious evidence leading to other operatives who may have supported the hijackings. This begs the question of whether these evidence trails were intentionally left in order to distract U.S. law enforcement from other terrorists. Analysis U.S. authorities have identified as many as 50 infiltrators who allegedly supported or carried out the strikes against the World Trade Center and Pentagon Sept. 11, according to The Los Angeles Times. About 40 of the suspects have been accounted for, including those killed in the suicide attacks, but 10 reportedly remain at large. The terrorist cells demonstrated incredible sophistication and coordination in preparing and executing the attacks, but they left an astonishing amount of clues in their wake -- some that may lead to accomplices still operating in the United States. It is possible the perpetrators intentionally left some incriminating material to divert FBI attention, making it easier for additional terrorists to leave the country or carry out further operations. The FBI has identified dozens of suspects by using conventional police techniques, such as cross-referencing passenger lists with the Immigration and Naturalization Service "watch list." Agents in Boston also questioned a man who held a credit card used to purchase plane tickets for seven of the suspected hijackers. In Florida FBI agents were drawn to a flight school, where some of the suspects allegedly trained, after finding the school's name and an Arabic-language flight manual in a car left at Logan International Airport in Boston. Also, in Germany an airport worker of Moroccan origin was detained after he was found in an apartment that had been used by an Arab man on the passenger list of one of the hijacked planes, Reuters reported. The relative ease with which the clues have been uncovered and what would appear to be obvious mistakes on the part of the suspects, such as holding onto "dirty" credit cards, are inconsistent with the near perfect planning and execution before and during the attack. The attackers knew how to avoid detection by the National Security Agency and other technical intelligence outfits while organizing outside the United States. They also knew how to avoid suspicion once in the United States. That means they had a sophisticated understanding of how U.S. intelligence works and the discipline to avoid triggering suspicion. It is nearly unbelievable that an organization capable of carrying out such a complex operation would leave behind relatively obvious evidence. Even though the suicide hijackers had little to lose, they would want to delay the FBI's investigation -- and the inevitable U.S. military response. There are also unconfirmed reports that pictures of Saudi dissident Osama bin Laden, widely viewed as a prime suspect in the attacks, and copies of the Quran were left in rental vehicles used by the suspects. For intelligence operatives who earlier exhibited remarkable skill, such theatrics do not make sense. A likely possibility is that the hijackers intentionally left material designed to provide the FBI with an obvious trail leading to low-level operatives with limited knowledge of the attack or its sponsors. While authorities are preoccupied on this investigative track, the real masterminds of the attack could flee detection and plan more operations. A similar situation was alleged to have occurred following the bombing of the World Trade Center in 1993. Ramzi Ahmed Yousef, the alleged planner of the attack, flew from New York to Pakistan the day of the explosion, leaving at least two accomplices behind. Neither of the two men held any useful information about the operation or Yousef, and one was arrested after he foolishly returned to the rental agency to pick up his deposit on a van used in the attack. U.S. authorities pursued a case against the two conspirators, while Yousef's involvement was only discovered by the FBI because of the efforts of the Egyptian police.
Post #9,485 by JayMehaffey 9/17/01 2:52:50 PM Reply	Some counter points First, the terrorists may not have been as coordinated as many people suppose. They didn't take any steps to insure that the attacks would happen at the same time, AFAIK they didn't even have some coordination to insure that all of the flights where in the air before launching the attack. If they had the two planes in NY circle the city once or twice before slamming into the WTC, then they could have had all of the attacks happen in short order. This would have prevented the PA flight from being stopped. Second, while the terrorists where well hidden in the Middle East, you also have to remember that over there they are on their home territory. The terrorists simply may not have realized that every credit card used to buy a ticket for the hijacked planes would be traced within a few hours of the attack. They had years, if not decades, of experience in not being traced in Afghanistan, but Afghanistan is not an information society. Third, avoiding retribution may not have been one of their goals. Terrorists sometimes act with the goal of triggering a massive retaliation, which justifies and provokes even more extreme acts of terrorism. In some ways, being associated with the worst attack on the US is an advantage for bin Ladin, it gives him massive credibility and moral authority. Fourth, some of the people being caught easily where probably not considered part of the group by those making the attacks. The people that acted as runners and go-betweens may not have been told who they where working for, they where simply paid to carry a message from person A to person B. The terrorists would have no concern for covering for these people. Finally, the terrorists that where actually making the attack probably where not in the best of mind sets in the days right before the attack. It's very likely that in the run up to the final attack they would have gotten a bit sloppy in covering up traces of their actions. Jay
Post #9,520 by jb4 9/17/01 5:44:41 PM Reply	Thank you...and you're right, the link is back now The assumption by the writer is that these people were already suspects in some kind of nefarious activity, and that they had to use stealth techniques to hide out in this country. I not so sure that this is valid. First, our INS is incredibly stupid. We have reports that paperwork bungling let, what is it...3 or 4 of those suspected in the hijacking free in June when they were being detained for something-or-another. it could be that the hijackers counted on our incompetence. Second, just being of Arab descent or Islamic faith still isn't a crime in this country (yet...), and so long as they didn't raise any red flags (like wiring large amounts of cash around, or breaking any laws), there is no reason for anyone to pay attention to them. We were much more worried about Columbians learning to fly planes than Arabs learning to fly planes. Which brings me to my final point/rant. We all know how difficult it is to fight a war on 2 fronts simultaneously. How could we possibly be distracted by a couple of Arabs moving legally throughout this country when we're fighting a "War on Drugs[tm]"? Our priorities were not set properly with respect to the true threat to our national security, so of course no one was tracking them. But just imagine if these same people had had Hispanic surnames and came from Columbia or Peru.... we'd have been all over them like stink on shit. jb4 (Resistance is not futile...)
Post #9,476 by brettj 9/17/01 2:16:16 PM Reply	This is a chessmatch of wits. And most of us don't fully understand the playing field we are on. When Iraq tells us to use wisdom verses military might, they may be giving us a subtle hint. (to combat terrorism you need to know who you are fighting and what their motives are) This is not just a battle against bin Laden but all terrorist groups in the world, including those in Iraq, Iran and Pakistan, to name a few. Osama bin Laded is merely the person responsible for uniting the good people of the world against the evil people who hide in darkness. The Holy War may turn out to be aimed directly at him and his fellow terrorists. Most religions abhor murder and suicide. He has named his own persecution.
Post #9,544 by marlowe 9/17/01 8:28:45 PM Reply	So these guys the authorities are bringing in... are they part of bin Laden's gang, or do they belong to rival factions? [link\|http://www.angelfire.com/ca3/marlowe/index.html\|http://www.angelfir...e/index.html]

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