Big surprise.
Osama bin Laden was working to assemble a team of militants to attack the U.S. on the 10th anniversary of 9/11, according to communications Navy SEALs seized from his Pakistani hideout when they killed the al Qaeda leader this spring.
Bin Laden and his operations chief, Attiyah Abd al-Rahman, swapped views about the composition of the attack team, with bin Laden repeatedly rejecting names that Mr. Rahman suggested, according to U.S. officials familiar with the intelligence taken from the bin Laden compound.
The plans were only in the discussion phase, U.S. officials said. They haven’t seen any signs the nascent plot ever went beyond the early planning, the officials said.
Still, earlier this month in his first meeting with senior staff at the Central Intelligence Agency, acting Director Michael Morell told his staff that one of their top priorities would be to make sure that neither that plan nor any others were carried out.
Plans for an anniversary attack were one of the few specific potential threats to emerge from the trove of documents and other materials taken from bin Laden’s residence in Abottabad, Pakistan, in the May 2 raid. An initial analysis of the evidence said al Qaeda hoped to attack trains in the U.S., possibly on the anniversary of Sept. 11.
Other plotting with Mr. Rahman focused on recruiting attackers who had legitimate passports and other travel documents.
Bin Laden communicated with Mr. Rahman largely via documents saved to flash drives that were delivered by trusted couriers, according to people briefed on the communications.
Much of the other threat information in the trove of materials was general in nature or well known, such as al Qaeda’s interest in attacking trains.
In the days following the bin Laden raid, officials said the materials seized from the compound showed enthusiasm for carrying out attacks on dates of symbolic significance, prompting U.S. officials to worry about July 4 and Sept. 11. But officials didn’t disclose at that time that there had been specific planning for another attack on Sept. 11 this year.
More at the link: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304521304576446213098582284.html
In between watching recorded news reports and and porn, he was still plotting another attack. Some of the planned targets included General David Petraeus and major sporting events.
Although the majority of memory-challenged Americans have forgotten we are still at war, Bin Laden did not, and neither have the surviving Islamofascist swine.
Related articles
- Osama bin Laden had direct 7/7 role, US officials claim (telegraph.co.uk)
- Bin Laden Eyed Attack for 10th Anniversary of 9/11 (foxnews.com)
No real news in this. Their objective is to instill fear wherever we enjoy comfort and a sense of well being. Bush Jr. & Co. had it right when he said this is going to go on for decades.
Those who talk of war fatigue are mistaken morons. The locations of the war may shift but the enemy will remain the same.