Reuters: White House details 10 terror plots in Bush speech

[sabra]

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N06698778.htm

White House details 10 terror plots in Bush speech


Oct 6 (Reuters) - The White House, criticized for using inaccurate intelligence before the Iraq war, listed on Thursday the 10 disrupted al Qaeda plots that President George W. Bush mentioned in a speech on terrorism.

Asked for details, White House spokesman Scott McClellan pointed to the publicly known cases of Jose Padilla and Iyman Faris, but said information on some of the other plots was classified. The White House later put out a list of the plots, some with sketchy information.

The 10 al Qaeda plots disrupted since the Sept. 11 attacks, according to the White House, were:

-- West Coast Airliner Plot: In mid-2002, the United States disrupted a plot to attack targets on the West Coast using hijacked airplanes. "The plotters included at least one major operational planner involved in planning the events of 9/11."

-- East Coast Airliner Plot: In mid-2003, the United States and another country disrupted a plot to attack targets on the East Coast using hijacked commercial airplanes.

-- Jose Padilla Plot: In May 2002, a plot that involved blowing up apartment buildings in the United States was disrupted. One plotter, Padilla, also discussed the possibility of using a "dirty bomb" in the United States.

-- U.K. Urban Targets Plot: In mid-2004, the United States and another country disrupted a plot that involved urban targets in the United Kingdom and using explosives against a variety of sites.

more "plots" @ link

[DRoseDARs]

1. Well, now we know why they waited so long to provide details...

...all these years as to what specifically they've "prevented": Sub-40% poll numbers. Up 'til now it's been, "That's classified," or, "Trust us..." though even these 10 points are little more than soundbites. :eyes:

[TomInTib]

2. Next up- "found" video tapes

Remember those?

[DRoseDARs]

3. No, and that's probably a good thing; don't need a headache before work nt

[LoKnLoD]

4. Sure they did

yeah I believe every word they say. :sarcasm:

[Ksec]

5. less than 2 per year if we believe them , not real good nt

[Zynx]

6. That fourth one doesn't seem to have been disrupted very well.

Also, before the "War on Terra", Clinton stopped many terrorist attacks from occurring without the Patriot Act.

[DanCa]

7. Only ten the old man's slipping (nt)

[tocqueville]

8. another load of BS

it's very unlikely that the terrorists would try to use the airpplane method again. It was a one way shot. They might succeed in hijacking a plane but they would be shot before hitting targets. They are not THAT stupid. Of course hijacking a plane would be a success.

Bombing plots have been disrupted in Europe, yes, but US Intelligence has probably a minor role in it.

The most likely reason why we haven't seen more major attacks in the West is because Al Quaeda has franchised the operations to local groups. These are pretty amateurish and without support from the Muslim masses in Europe.

Any European group like the ETA, IRA etc... would have had devastating results and created an Iraq like situation if their bombings were aimed to take lives and not to draw attention to their causes, as it was mostly the case. The IRA nearly succeded with it during many years locally.

The "successes" in Madrid and London are more due to the failures of these countries security than of the strength of the terrorists. which doesn't mean it can't happen again.

Regarding the US it's even more difficult. Not because of the security measures, but mostly because the terrorists lack means, ideas and methods.

[nankerphelge]

9. He's a regular Encyclopedia Brown.

[6000eliot]

10. You can't prove a negative.

You can't prove attacks didn't happen.

[KidneyStoner]

11. Didn't they claim terrorists only had to get it right once?

And terrorists did get it right.

In London, in Madrid, in .....

Seems they are once again trapped in their own rhetoric.