Seattle an al-Qaida target? Local security officials left out of loop

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

Why reveal this threat? Washington's a blue state and Seattle's the most liberal city in that state.

By PAUL SHUKOVSKY
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER

National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice told the nation yesterday -- and apparently for the first time law enforcement in Seattle -- that the CIA warned President Bush that al-Qaida terrorists might try to hijack an airplane and free would-be terrorist bomber Ahmed Ressam.

Ressam, who has become an important government witness in terrorism cases, has spent most of the time since his December 1999 arrest in the Federal Detention Center at SeaTac.

In testimony before the Sept. 11 commission, Rice added that checks had been made on whether a courthouse involving the Ressam case in 2001 was under surveillance and that "the FBI had full field investigations under way."

But the special agent in charge of the FBI's Seattle office at the time said yesterday that he never heard of any such investigations. And retired agent Charles Mandigo added that no one ever informed him of threats to the prison or the courthouse.

Mandigo is not alone:

-more-

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/168409_ressam09.html

[scottxyz]

1. If they're not a N Korea target

n/t

[Cascadian]

2. Oh great!

Nothing like waking up to a terrorist attack. That's all I need.

:scared:

John