RawStory: Sources say no serious plot for NYC (Tunnel), just hate chatter

[Roland99]

http://www.rawstory.com/news/2006/No_Plot_for_NYC_Just_Hate_0707.html

One former intelligence field officer says, and two other CIA officials confirm, that the alleged plot by Muslim extremists to bomb the Holland Tunnel in New York City was nothing more than chatter by unaffiliated individuals with no financing or training in an open forum already monitored extensively by the United States Government, RAW STORY has learned.

“The so-called New York tunnel plot was a result of discussions held on an open Jihadi web site,” said former CIA officer and contributor to American Conservative Philip Giraldi in a late Friday afternoon conversation. Although Giraldi acknowledges that the persons involved – “three of whom have already been arrested in Lebanon and elsewhere - are indeed extremists," their online chatter is considerably overblown by allegations of an actual plot.

“They are not professionally trained terrorists, however, and had no resources with which to carry out the operation they discussed," Giraldi added. "Despite press reports that they had asked Abu Musab Zarqawi for assistance, there is no information to confirm that. It is known that the members discussed the possibility of approaching Zarqawi but none of them knew him or had any access to him.”

Two other intelligence officials with experience in the field on extremist operations concurred--and expressed concern that what could have been an operation to eventually track known extremists (should they eventually make actual contact with funds and training,) seems to have been exposed for political gain.

So, they were trying to dig at the NYTimes by exposing this investigation?


Pathetic.

[originalpckelly]

1. I WAS THE FIRST!

I said it first. I knew this was BS just like the 7 dorks.

[Roland99]

3. And here I thought it might actually be something.

"Jordanian associates of Al Qaeda in Iraq leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi".


:rofl:

[C_U_L8R]

2. No surprise... But Rove Got His Headline

This is gonna be their little game from now til election day.

Dems need a good offensive strategy... this is BS

[Roland99]

5. Got into a discussion with a friend of mine about the Miami 7

He'd been saying they were terrorists and I was trying to explain that these guys were not terrorists and had zero chance of pulling anything off. That the FBI informant was CREATING a terror cell. A good defense lawyer would have a field day with that. But, that the administration, via Gonzo's live press conference, made quite a bit of political hay in the news cycle over that story.

Appears the same thing is happening here.

[Roland99]

4. Kick for full story.

[savemefromdumbya]

6. Bush and Cheney think it's cute that we are being terrorised

they realize of course they would be blamed if a REAL terra attack occurred

[elfin]

7. Just finished Updike's "Terrorist"

which has been reviewed extensively (VERY good book) which involves a plot in the Lincoln tunnel. Wonder if news is imitating fiction in this case. He lays out a realistic scenario for a suicide bomber.

[Roland99]

8. Apparently, Mr. Intellectual of the Year (Hitchens) didn't like it

http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/prem/200606/updike

;)