Pakistan Taliban Claims Times Square Bomb, Threatens More. How Credible?

[tekisui]

Source: Christian Science Monitor

Experts cast doubt on the Pakistan Taliban’s apparent claim to have planned the Times Square bombing and its threat to attack US cities.

By Ben Arnoldy, Correspondent / May 3, 2010
New Delhi

Experts on the Pakistani Taliban are dismissing out of hand the group's claims of responsibility for the car bomb placed Saturday in New York City's Time Square. The group has made false claims in the past and shows no evidence of having international reach.

The Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP) have posted two videos since the attack, according to US-based monitoring groups. In one, a Taliban spokesman claims the New York attack. In the second, alleged to have been filmed on April 4, TTP leader Hakimullah Mehsud promises attacks inside the United States within a month. The US and Pakistan had believed Mr. Mehsud died in a drone attack back in January.

The videos do not convince experts of the Taliban's ability to strike inside America. But the audacious claims, and the mystery surrounding Mehsud's months of silence, suggest divisions within the group.

"I doubt it very much," says Ahmed Rashid, author of "Taliban," regarding the Taliban claim of responsibility. "I think there are elements in the TTP … who would like to see the TTP become an ally of global jihad and Al Qaeda. And I don't think the bulk of Pakistani Taliban would want that."

Troubles at home

Those elements in favor of globalizing the group would be Taliban from the Punjab, the Pakistani heartland, says Mr. Rashid. Mountain-dwelling Pashtuns have traditionally dominated the group, which channels frustrations among that ethnic minority into attacks against the Pakistani state. But in recent years Punjabis – some with links to Kashmir-focused terror groups -- have been joining the movement.

One of the Punjabi terror groups, Lashkar-e Taiba (LeT), has significant networks outside Pakistan. Even if the Taliban were to piggyback on those links, experts doubt their reach would grow beyond the Indian subcontinent.

more: http://www.csmonitor.com/World/2010/0503/Pakistan-Taliban-claims-Times-Square-bomb-threatens-more.-How-credible

[mmonk]

1. IMO, not, but we shall see.

[ensho]

2. I don't believe it. their bombs go off big time

nt

[Robb]

3. Again, the pressure cooker component is pure Punjabi.

...If someone can find me a report of single pressure cooker in a bomb outside Central Asia, that would be another matter.

[blogslut]

7. So, nobody can borrow a design?

Come on.

[Robb]

12. Sure, but there's no reason to.

Plenty of ways to blow stuff up without a pressure cooker. McVeigh didn't use one.

[tekisui]

9. Here:

Officer Killed Trying To Detonate Hijackers Bomb In New York (1976)
http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=xX4KAAAAIBAJ&sjid=S0oDAAAAIBAJ&pg=3774,5485449&dq=pressure-cooker+in+bomb&hl=en

German station bomb contained pressure cooker (2003)
http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?click_id=24&art_id=qw1055505780278B265&set_id=1

Bomb damages Spanish ministry (1987)
http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=ZDopAAAAIBAJ&sjid=_oMDAAAAIBAJ&pg=5401,4889571&dq=pressure-cooker+in+bomb&hl=en

Bomb shakes Paris street market (1995)
http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=4XAVAAAAIBAJ&sjid=E-sDAAAAIBAJ&pg=5639,1091330&dq=pressure-cooker+in+bomb&hl=en



I haven't seen a full diagram or explanation of the device, but it seems rather haphazard. As if they used anything they thought could explode based on weak research.

[Robb]

14. Croatian, Nepalese, Pyreneean and Tahat bombers, respectively.

Do you see the connection?

[tekisui]

17. Not from Central Asia. Yes.

[Robb]

21. Try again. C'mon, think.

What ties the terror groups from those regions together? It's the reason they have pressure cookers handy. Do you cook? :D

[HipChick]

25. Have you heard of something called the internet?

[ClarkUSA]

4. There's always a first time. Considering there's a large Pakistani population in the NYC area...

... it isn't that farfetched a possibility. Sec. of Homeland Security Napolitano said today that she hasn't ruled out international terrorism. On MSNBC right now, terrorism expert Evan Coleman said that the head of the Pakistani Taliban released a "credible" video last week which warned of an attack which was "somewhat specific."

[Mz Pip]

5. Why take credit

for a failure, and such badly contructed one at that?

Maybe the Taliban is just desperate for attention and will claim credit for failure just to get some attention. One would think they would be more likely to claim that it wasn't them.

[tekisui]

10. Maybe for attention.

Maybe for intimidation.

Maybe they are planning something more.

[Robb]

11. Indeed. We can't have it both ways.

Are they master bomb-makers who would never make a bomb that doesn't work, or desperate fools who claim anything for attention?

[tekisui]

13. False dichotomy.

They can be effective bomb makers in their region, who take credit for acts abroad that they didn't commit. Both are true in respect to their history.

[Robb]

15. Indeed? Tell me more about their history.

Get a-Googlin'. :rofl:

[Name removed]

16. Deleted message

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[cliffordu]

19. MAybe they subcontracted to halliburton.

Or BP.

[Mz Pip]

22. They aren't mutually exclusive.

It could be Taliban terrorists who screwed up. I just don't see the point of claiming a failure. That said I don't really understand how they think. I'm just speculating like everyone else.

[Robb]

23. Yeah, we're all still guessing.

I think the timeline explains that, though. They had to pre-record the video, so they probably figured it would work.

[onehandle]

6. Not. It was a teabagger in the McVeigh tradition. nt

[sabbat hunter]

8. not very credible

they also tried to take credit for a shooting that happened in upstate NY in 2009. Turned out to be a disgruntled Vietamese immigrant.

[Dappleganger]

20. We need to take note that they are spewing more bullshit...

and stop believing there's a turban behind everything which goes wrong.

[lonestarnot]

18. Talibanners are full of bullshit.

[ClarkUSA]

24. Breaking MSNBC News: A U.S. citizen of Pakistani descent has been arrested.

Police believe he is the one responsible for the attempted car bombing. He paid in cash for the SUV involved in the incident. Last week, the Pakistani Taliban aired a "somewhat specific" video warning of an impending "overseas attack", according to Evan Coleman, MSNBC terrorist expert. Then there was the attempted car bombing. Afterwards, the Pakistani Taliban claims credit. Now, a citizen of Pakistani descent is arrested.

Connect the dots.