Blotter: Feds worried that Zawahiri sent coded message in his new tape
posted at 3:46 pm on July 13, 2007 by Allahpundit
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Meaningful operational signal or mindless zombie chanting? You never can tell. The story reminded me that I’ve seen him do this once before — sort of. Click here, skip ahead in the video to about a third of the way through, and look for where he says AQ has formed an alliance with the Algerian Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat. He repeats the blessing three times, although that makes more sense in context than the line the Blotter is worried about. The full translation of the relevant passage via Laura Mansfield:
If you help him not, Allah helped him when those who disbelieve drove him out, the second of two; when they both were in the cave, when he said to his companion, ‘Don’t worry. Allah is with us.’ Then Allah sent down His reassuring tranquility upon him and supported him with hosts you did not see, and made the word of those who disbelieved the nethermost, while Allah’s word became the uppermost. Allah is Mighty, Wise. Go forth [whether equipped] lightly or heavily, and strive and struggle with your goods and your persons in the cause of Allah. That is best for you, if you but knew.” (9:38-41)
Have I not conveyed? O Allah, be my witness. Have I not conveyed? O Allah, be my witness. Have I not conveyed? O Allah, be my witness.
The feds are looking at the last part. The Blotter, evidently incapable of doing a google search, doesn’t mention who or what he’s quoting. It’s from Mohammed’s last sermon, the suspicion, presumably, being that any cell that’s here or on the way should wait for a tape that references that speech as some sort of cue. Given the terror jitters both here and abroad and the reports of a cell on its way here, the concern is understandable.
Incidentally, the Senate upped the bounty on Osama today to $50 million. The vote was 87-1, with Republican Jim Bunning the lone dissenter. I like his reasoning. The left emphatically does not. Exit question: The Blotter notes that Zawahiri might have used a VOIP program — a technology not traditionally associated with caves — to make his latest tape. This AP piece also notes the unlikely speed with which he’s able to churn out material nowadays. Anyone want to guess where he’s living nowadays? You know what my prediction is.
Update: 12,000 Pakistani troops are on their way to the tribal areas. Does Ayman have a date with destiny?
Probably not.
Update: The new Taliban commander, who also presided over that suicide bomber graduation ceremony, promises that the new attacks will dwarf the London bombings.
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Maybe he sent it but there was nobody to receive it.
I can dream can’t I?
LakeRuins on July 13, 2007 at 3:51 PM
You can communicate a covert message in any written or oral text or behavior. It’s not wise to publish Zawahiri’s ranting verbatim. It’s better to sum it up.
That said, the Muslim nutcases hardly need to rely on the infidel media to carry their message. It’s much easier and more reliable to send it via the Internet. It could be posted on a web page anywhere and browsed from anywhere in full view of the public.
Tantor on July 13, 2007 at 3:53 PM
If it is some sort of “code,” then it doesn’t make much sense to call attention to itself like that.
Possibilities:
1. It really is a code: kind of like “John has a long moustahe. Repeat, John has a long moustache” as the BBC’s signal to the French Resistance that the D-Day landings were on.
2. It’s not a code, but a mantra – the significance of the repetition being “A mohammedan thing, you wouldn’t understand.”
3. It’s a fake message, meant to call attention to itself to see what reaction, if any it provokes in our security.
I don’t know which it is, or whether these three possibilities are all there is; but as they say, the terrorists only have to get it right once, so if I were in Chertoff’s shoes I’d be inclined to take it very seriously as an attack message.
Spurius Ligustinus on July 13, 2007 at 3:59 PM
Consider that the U.S.A. has not been hit with a major terrorist attack since 9/11/01 because of good leadership. No not President Bush’s leadership, UBL’s. An attack on the homeland while the Iraq war is in progress would unite this country. Zawahiri may be one evil Jihadi but he knows that AQ’s best hope lies in a divided country just giving up the fight.
As soon as Zawahiri believes that Iraq is no longer in doubt he will pull the trigger on AQ cells that he has in place here. Ok, Ok just a conspiracy theory supported only the speeches on the Senate floor.
TunaTalon on July 13, 2007 at 4:02 PM
Zawahiri has an iPhone?
kjspeedial on July 13, 2007 at 4:04 PM
I agree with you… Yamamoto worried about waking the sleeping giant…
Bin L attacked and we invaded TWO countries… I’m convinced he’s let it be known NOT to attack America directly… as he needs time for his allies, the Anti War Dems, to hamstring America…
Romeo13 on July 13, 2007 at 4:12 PM
“Gut feeling” = coded message?
forest on July 13, 2007 at 4:18 PM
Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and Ramzi Yousef were from the area you feel they are hiding.
WoosterOh on July 13, 2007 at 4:19 PM
Well that is probably going to give ol’ Chertoff the runs again
conservnut on July 13, 2007 at 4:21 PM
On a note on some posts, I have thought recently that it would be nice that on our way out of Iraq, lets hope it is April 2008, not sooner, that we make a little stop in Northern Pakistan, visit and old friend. Hit em fast and hard, leave and let things fall where they may from us going into Pakistan. If not for the liberal press, we could deny it happened.
WoosterOh on July 13, 2007 at 4:23 PM
Now that’s just mean. Tell Allah you are sorry and offer a hug. :-)
KelliD on July 13, 2007 at 4:25 PM
So can we complain about airport prayer circles again? Or is that still not PC?
Masscon on July 13, 2007 at 4:26 PM
s
sonnyspats1 on July 13, 2007 at 4:31 PM
Coded Message reads as follows:
“Habib. Running dangerously low on Cheetos. Send airdrop.”
Nethicus on July 13, 2007 at 4:31 PM
DUH !!!!
shooter on July 13, 2007 at 4:33 PM
The Feds should be worried about reality!
sabbott on July 13, 2007 at 4:38 PM
More than the repeated phrase, I’m interested in the all-white outfit. The Z-man doesn’t usually wear all white. He usually has a black vest or a gray cloak or something. But suddenly in the last two or three videos he’s in all white. What’s the deal with that?
I know Muslims wear white on the hajj. I doubt Ayman’s going on the hajj. Anyone have any ideas?
Thomas the Wraith on July 13, 2007 at 4:40 PM
I just ran it through my Microsoft Enigma machine and it translates into:
“We are getting our asses kicked by the American military, but if, Allah willing, we can get our friends, the Dhimmicrats elected in ‘08, we will have won!”
Tony737 on July 13, 2007 at 4:44 PM
When it happens, not if, I can only hope that those that want to appease them, take the brunt of the terrorists action. we know 40% of America will be ready for them and willing to fight them, we know the rest will want to hug them, per the WaPo.
WoosterOh on July 13, 2007 at 4:50 PM
Yeah… and that 40% is the one with all the Guns… LOL
Romeo13 on July 13, 2007 at 4:52 PM
More panic-mongering from the Blotter?! Jeez, louise, these guys never rest. They must be trying to scare people.
I guess I should buy more canned food and shotgun shells ’cause ABC thinks doomsday is on its way.
Thomas the Wraith on July 13, 2007 at 4:55 PM
hahaha
Pretty much my thoughts exactly.
RushBaby on July 13, 2007 at 4:59 PM
OK AP, you said to look for where he says AQ has formed an alliance with the
“Algerian Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat”
I could not find it. I found where he said they formed an alliance with the Democratic National Committee for Stifling Debate and Hugging.
WoosterOh on July 13, 2007 at 5:16 PM
Fifty million bounty on Osama?
Is that ‘dead or alive’?
‘Cause the only thing left of him are some bone fragments, a few teeth and bits of flesh.
LegendHasIt on July 13, 2007 at 5:24 PM
So does this story expose sensitive intelligence information when it disclose the VOIP investigation?
See Threats Watch
tmitsss on July 13, 2007 at 5:24 PM
AP, I’m really sorry you don’t have an iPhone. If it were up to me, I’d send in the special forces to appropriate Zawahiri’s iPhone just for you.
kjspeedial on July 13, 2007 at 5:36 PM
Brian Ross should be strung up in the city square.
fogw on July 13, 2007 at 5:38 PM
Actually, he’s just one on a long list. Funny thing is, if we win and ultimately beat the Islamists back, Brian Ross and his ilk will have lost and are irrelevant. If we lose, he’ll be strung-up. Either way, he loses.
JiangxiDad on July 13, 2007 at 5:49 PM
That certainly looks like a messsage to me.
ahem on July 13, 2007 at 6:03 PM
Great. Just Great! We were just getting to the point where we could MOAB the hell out of an independent Waziristan and the Pakistanis decide to send in 12,000 human shields to us and target fodder to the Taliban/Al Qaeda nexis.
Dusty on July 13, 2007 at 6:03 PM
Are you saying this is an attempt to protect Al-Quaeda, or ineptitude?
JiangxiDad on July 13, 2007 at 6:17 PM
I understood that the last time the Americans relied on the locals to fight al-Qaeda’s leaders, at Tora Bora, al-Qaeda bribed the locals, who allowed them to escape.
It seems Americans of the Right will have to take over the financing and administration of the Republican Party, in order to open the way for men to assume office who are comfortable with death and destruction. Actually, though, it would be much more fun to watch, were patriotic, intelligent Americans to take counter-terror private. Private Americans have enormous wealth and amazing technologies in computation, electronics, biochemistry, and biology. As their “federal” government goes on picking its nose year after year, it becomes more and more difficult to defend the ingenious Yankees’ self-restraint. “Where is the Batman? He’s at home washing his tights.”
Kralizec on July 13, 2007 at 7:01 PM
“Have I Not Conveyed?” would look good chalked on the next JDAM we drop in Zawahiri’s lap.
Tantor on July 13, 2007 at 11:35 PM
Well it’s not like they’d use pig latin.
Buzzy on July 14, 2007 at 12:48 AM
The decoded message reads:
Allah is a figment of our imaginations.
Mohammad was a pedophile freak.
Kill yourselves in despair.
Peace. Out.
profitsbeard on July 14, 2007 at 1:57 AM
Why didn’t he just say “Boo!” three times?
crosspatch on July 14, 2007 at 6:35 AM
What I can’t understand is why, with all the super souped-up technology they are suppose to have at their fingertips, can’t the combined efforts of every single intelligence gathering organization on the planet track this guy down? This loon should have been bombed into popcorn years ago, but no one seems to have a friggin’ clue where he is, where he is doing these tapes from, who is sheltering him, etc. It’s like the guy is transmitting from the moon or something. Someone has to know where he is.
pilamaye on July 14, 2007 at 8:30 AM
Have they played the audio backwards??? I’m not sayin, I’m just sayin’.
Ordinary1 on July 14, 2007 at 11:05 AM
[JiangxiDad on July 13, 2007 at 6:17 PM]
I hadn’t been “saying” anything other than what I said, JiangxiDad. It was an observation of the apparent drawing upon the past and wasn’t intended to put the Pakistani action in either a “not on our side” or a “miserable failures” cubbyhole. Why do you ask?
Dusty on July 14, 2007 at 2:55 PM
LOL…sad but true!
Liberty or Death on July 14, 2007 at 5:53 PM
The long sobs of the violins of autumn wound my heart with monotonous languor.
I take it another Jeep is coming. But that’s okay. John Smeaton will be back at work, sober again, with a fag in hand.
jihadwatcher on July 14, 2007 at 5:57 PM
If true it kind of fits with the following I posted on a different thread:
While its never been proven that OBL, his butt-buddy Zawahiri, and the rest of their ilk had help from the Northern Alliance (our supposed ally) most do believe it was the Northern Alliance (in a backroom deal) that allowed them to escape Tora Bora into Pakistan. This occurred when the Northern Alliance convinced US forces to have a 2-day cease fire during the Tora Bora campaign because they (the Northern Alliance) had struck a surrender deal with AQ and Taliban, it was obviously a ruse to allow them to escape because they knew they were finished as our troops were kicking their ever-lovin A$$ES and were closing the noose!
This is why I never agree with working with any go-betweens, especially tribal Arabs, they notoriously not trustworthy, never have been and never will be, hell they’d send their own mothers to slaughter if it benefits them. As my dad (Army Air Corp 27 years) used to say, “don’t do me no favors!”
Instead we should go back to doing the work ourselves by flushing them out with sheer brute force, attack, attack, attack some more and never let up until they are dead or they unconditionally surrender! Want something done right, do it yourself as they say!
Liberty or Death on July 14, 2007 at 6:57 PM
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