Report: NYC terror plot was/is on scale of 9/11
posted at 7:05 pm on September 15, 2009 by Allahpundit
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Not sure what that means — were the Madrid bombings, for instance, “on the scale of 9/11″? — but an awful lot of people in the know are scrambling. Combine this with that ominous Journal piece from last night and it sure sounds like someone’s worried about WMD, probably of the chemical variety given the FBI warnings to cops about foul odors and large window fans.
Hundreds of FBI agents are on the ground in Colorado, conducting round-the-clock surveillance on five suspects – including a man who recently visited Queens, sources told The News…
“The FBI is seriously spooked about these guys planning another 9/11,” a former senior counterterrorism official told the News. “This is not some … FBI informant-driven case. This is the real thing.”…
The 24-7 counterterror operation included Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act warrants used to intercept calls and e-mails, as well as overseas-linked wiretaps to eavesdrop on Arabic and Pashto-speaking targets.
Sources said the investigation’s targets are Afghans – an unusual development. Al Qaeda prefers Arabs and Pakistanis as there [sic] overseas operatives.
The Post IDs the Colorado suspect as an Afghan known as “Najibullah” and claims that he trained with Al Qaeda. Could be that AQ wants to put an Afghan stamp on the next attack to frame it as some sort of reprisal for the U.S. occupation, but that’s just me guessing. As for how he got away, it seems we jumped too soon:
The FBI, meanwhile, is furious with the NYPD for bungled intelligence gathering that tipped off Najibullah that he was under surveillance, sources said.
Federal agents working with the Joint Terrorism Task Force asked their NYPD counterparts to discreetly gather intel on Najibullah.
Rather than slyly contact their list of sources and informants the NYPD canvassed the suspect’s old Flushing neighborhood and flashed around his picture.
Eventually the imam of the Masjid Hazrat Abu Bakr Islamic Center learned of the investigation and contacted the man’s family to let them know that he was subject of a law enforcement inquiry.
Great work, imam. You’re a true patriot. No arrests so far, no bomb materials recovered. Where do they go from here?
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NYPD has a rather strong intel unit, thank God
blatantblue on September 15, 2009 at 9:37 PM
Apparently not. The NYPD just made military intel look smart.
Rightwingguy on September 15, 2009 at 9:39 PM
Safe journey.
Mangy Scot on September 15, 2009 at 9:40 PM
Well it is too bad the secret leaked but it also might have saved lives so… at least there’s that.
petunia on September 15, 2009 at 9:43 PM
I really hate to politicize this, but I’m one of those that still believes WMDs WERE in Iraq, and likely moved to/through Syria. I’m sorry, but my first thought is “What happens, politically in this country, if we recover WMDs or there is a WMD attack and the materials bear a Baghdad bar code?”
RightWinged on September 15, 2009 at 9:49 PM
I’m aware of that; nearly a page and half of that is well past my limit.
Troll-jacking I can understand. That’s their job [and sometimes they do it quite well].
Not all topics are equal. This is one of them.
I trust this concludes my need to comment on this.
CPT. Charles on September 15, 2009 at 9:53 PM
Now now, let’s not get all worked up. He’s not they guy, just ask him he’ll tell ya.
boomer on September 15, 2009 at 9:53 PM
And Colorado has….um…we’re all gonna die.
boomer on September 15, 2009 at 9:54 PM
Aye, Aye, sir.
Rightwingguy on September 15, 2009 at 9:59 PM
No, you have probably just thrown down the gauntlet.
Cindy Munford on September 15, 2009 at 9:59 PM
they need to get this imam and make him disappear.
the Coondawg on September 15, 2009 at 10:02 PM
Bring back Dick Cheney…..now!
Hening on September 15, 2009 at 10:18 PM
That hurts.
blankminde on September 15, 2009 at 10:18 PM
I’ve got family members who are with the NYPD anti-terrorism task force and I don’t mind saying that they have a better idea than most when it comes to how to combat threats…
The FBI might be in the mood to complain, but the NYPD is composed of officers who have ALL lost friends and/or family on 9/11 and therefore aren’t going to take threats lightly.
As for that Imam…he should be dragged into the street and shot like an animal. End of story. When it comes to matters like this, you’ve got to make the punishment far outstrip the crime. Kill the bastard. Let him rot in the street til his bleached bones stand as solemn warning to other godless animals who would murder innocents.
WhatDukeSaid on September 15, 2009 at 10:20 PM
Judging from the first quote above, I suspect somebody’s computer [or thumb drive] had something noteworthy within [beyond 'I luv Bin Laden'].
Or, they hit the bonus round when they bagged Nabhan and somebody freaked when they started digging through the stuff they scooped up. Yeah I know about ‘cell isolation’ but ya never know. Considering his past ’successes’, he could have been a ‘consultant’ and we just got lucky.
It has happened before [historically speaking].
CPT. Charles on September 15, 2009 at 10:23 PM
If I were AQ, I would be testing the water by having a cell with no illegal activities conducted start communicating and mobilizing without a clear goal yet. Stir the water and see what comes up. Then give a stand down order
I can’t help but look at this and feel like we overplayed our hand. If it stopped a potentially horrific event then that is great, but if the cost was opening ourselves up significantly then watch out.
Could this be a feint?
blankminde on September 15, 2009 at 10:25 PM
What WhatDukeSaid said.
thomasaur on September 15, 2009 at 10:30 PM
Jeez, Louise. It’s deja vu all over again. It’s not just 9/10 anymore, it’s 9/10 1990…
John O’Neill is spinning in his grave tonight.
Bruno Strozek on September 15, 2009 at 10:32 PM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Nz5TWRRv8A
Del Dolemonte on September 15, 2009 at 10:35 PM
In theory I couldn’t agree with you more.
In practice that isn’t how you fight a counterinsurgency…well not the way a democratic society can get away with. You’re advocating the Hama model. I think it could work if our nation had the balls to look at the rest of the world and tell them to get bent while we’re obliterating anyone that would seek to destroy our civilization. It is an all or nothing gambit though and I can’t really name one thing America has had the nerve to follow through on like that for decades.
blankminde on September 15, 2009 at 10:36 PM
re. pages 2-3 of this thread, a quote from an esteemed philosopher.
“Wow, all that good whiskey, gone to hell!!!”
Col. Sherman Potter
Del Dolemonte on September 15, 2009 at 10:41 PM
I suspect Obama’s DHS is just hyping this so they can score points at the next election.
Wait. That was Bush’s strategy …
Never mind.
fred5678 on September 15, 2009 at 10:42 PM
My local station (fox 31) in Denver just did a story on this. They interviewed the main guy who was visiting NY. The interview took place on the dude’s front porch in Denver – he said he was in NY picking up a coffee cart. He seemed like a coffee cart dude and not a terrorist. If this story had anything of substance – why was the main suspect home with his dad tonight and doing local tv spots? He said he would be taking all questions in press conference tomorrow.
This story is 100% fake, no terrorists this time – just wagging the dog.
Ed Graef on September 15, 2009 at 11:19 PM
If the Feds did their job, these guys wouldn’t be in the country, so let’s not blame the NYPD. Corrupt as they are, let’s not forget the planes flew IN to NYC, not OUT of NYC.
LibertyBoyNYC on September 15, 2009 at 11:23 PM
What? Someone wasted some good whiskey???
lovingmyUSA on September 15, 2009 at 11:24 PM
Gotta link for that?
CPT. Charles on September 15, 2009 at 11:35 PM
story from denver’s fox station http://www.kdvr.com/news/kdvr-raid-colo-connection-091509,0,5279698.story
pghpat26 on September 15, 2009 at 11:53 PM
They accumulate whatever they think will constitute as relevant evidence in the investigation. Since they got a FISA warrant you know it had to yield something, this was the real deal. My guess is they probably found various AQ training manuals there. They’re available online. I truly doubt any of these guys are foreigners, they had to be homegrown. This is probably a cell like the one that was responsible for the 7/7 bombings in London.
Cr4sh Dummy on September 15, 2009 at 11:59 PM
Well, thousands more New Yorkers may die because we don’t know where the WMD is, but at least no one will be waterboarded. whew!
29Victor on September 16, 2009 at 12:32 AM
Obama has extended three key provisions of the Patriot Act that were due to end this year. Hmmm, I thought liberals hated the Patriot Act
HellCat on September 16, 2009 at 1:25 AM
Liberals have redefined terrorists. Now, the Patriot Act is not only OK but desirable and necessary.
macncheez on September 16, 2009 at 1:33 AM
Someone needs to tell Jalili that those Muslim Brotherhood talking points are soooo last year.
CarolynM on September 16, 2009 at 6:18 AM
Um, the obvious question here is, why didn’t the FBI already have all these islamic terrorists locked up?
dogsoldier on September 16, 2009 at 7:06 AM
Serious stuff. God help us all.
Clinton was supposed to have said he regretted that 9/11 didn’t happen on his watch.
Hillary and Rahm have both stated that a crisis is something just too good to waste.
Obama wants power over the internet in times of emergancy.
Janet Napolitano has labeled conservatives as extremists.
The entire mainstream media except for Fox News, is an active partner walking hand in hand with this administration.
Now,, throw in another 9/11 and all bets are off.
If Obama says he needs massive new emergency powers for whatever reasons he deems necessary,, he will get them.
Just sayin. Nothing like a little paranoia in the morning.
JellyToast on September 16, 2009 at 7:36 AM
Corrupt? how so? Are you implying they tipped off someone on purpose.
Having personal first hand knowledge of these units, you really don’t want to go down this road. Becaue this road is covered with mistakes made by every agency in this country. Been there and seen it.
blue1 on September 16, 2009 at 7:47 AM
these poor afghans members of the religion of peace are just victims of the racist/jewish FBI and NYC PD…
/sarc
right4life on September 16, 2009 at 9:11 AM
“Call the CIA for help.”
“They’re not answering, sir.”
Daggett on September 16, 2009 at 9:20 AM
Was it a Muslim police officer who was showing around Najibullah’s pix in the community? Was the show and tell clumsy or a deliberate tipoff masquerading as clumsiness?
SilentWatcher on September 16, 2009 at 9:56 AM
Simple. You’ll never hear about it.
John Deaux on September 16, 2009 at 10:18 AM
WHAT GOOD DOES ALL OUR INTELLIGENCE DO WHEN THEY KEEP BRINGING IN MORE TERRORISTS. HB 1388 for 20.3 million just passed bringing in thousands of Hamas refugees from Gaza. taxpayers will pay for their, housing and well being, how does this make any sense when Americans are struggling to survive. There is something terribly wrong with our Gov. to allow this. God Bless all Americans.
concernedsenior on September 16, 2009 at 10:46 AM
Allahpundit,
You said.
But that’s not how the Islamic religious leader behaved in the last season of 24. He even helped Jack Bauer. You’re being closed minded and not giving them a chance.
/sarcasm
shick on September 16, 2009 at 11:12 AM
Why is there not more coverage of this?
ORconservative on September 16, 2009 at 11:17 AM
We are so involved with the hate the Dems have against the GOP and this push for BO’s healthcare, that no one is keeping an eye on the real ball.
Who would like to place a bet? When will we be hit again, because I’m sure it’s closer than we think.
shoregulls on September 16, 2009 at 11:49 AM
I’ll bet on that. I think it is very close. No one is watching. They are too busy trying to find someone who is not racist to call racist.
ORconservative on September 16, 2009 at 11:58 AM
I’m glad to see that someone else is paying close attention here because it’s not our Government. We are prime targets. You don’t believe there is more to this news? Think again, people.
shoregulls on September 16, 2009 at 12:01 PM
And when they catch one of these bozos?
Feds: Talk!
Terrorist: I know nothing! (Sgt Schultz voice)
Feds: Pretty please!
Terrorist: I know nothing!
Feds: Pretty please with sugar on it :)
Terrorist: Well, okay, since you put it that way, here’s the scoop….
CC
CapedConservative on September 16, 2009 at 12:32 PM
I say we snatch him and make him sit in the comfy chair.
NickelAndDime on September 16, 2009 at 12:51 PM
Above post vs last administration:
CIA Spook: Talk!
Terrorist: Screw You Infidel!
Spook: Okay. Hey Joe, put a bag over this bozo’s head, fill the pool for the waterboarding overflow to run into and how about this time we let the sharks swim around in it just for sh!ts and grins…. I’m gonna take a leak.
Spook: (returning from the john): Hey! I thought I told you guys to bag this bozo!
Joe (another spook): We tried boss, but we can’t get him to stop talking long enough to get it on!
CC
CapedConservative on September 16, 2009 at 12:57 PM
I’m all for the police but it has to be said that the NYPD are not and never have been the brightest lights on the tree, as anyone in New York who has ever had dealings with them can attest to. My latest case in point: some moron went through a stop sign in the West Village and almost hit me, so I slapped his hood as he went past and said “hey!” The guy slammed on the brakes, got out of his car and proceeded to launch an attack on me with his fists. A large crowd witnessed it and called the cops, who arrived as the psycho was still going nuts on me. They asked him what happened, told him to be on his way and then threatened to arrest me for criminal damage for slapping his car. The general reaction from the crowd of witnesses was “are you freaking nuts?” NYPD cops are largely lacking in any kind of common sense, initiative or cohertent leadership. Knowing that they’re involved in antiterrorist operations does not make me feel safer in the slightest.
Sharke on September 16, 2009 at 2:41 PM
If they have ANY idea what the target of this attack is, they should bring the imam there for a lengthy period of questioning.
hawksruleva on September 16, 2009 at 5:35 PM
To be fair, you really should learn for yourself what “discrete” means. It doesn’t mean the same as “discreet”, which appears to be the word you wanted to use.
VekTor on September 16, 2009 at 6:03 PM
Now who would have leaked the information:
Leahy D
Ellison D
Pelosi D
Reid D
Rockefeller D
Kerry D
Murtha D
…………..
dthorny on September 16, 2009 at 8:23 PM
Oh snap, we didn’t read these terrorists their Miranda rights…that they don’t have in a war.
dthorny on September 16, 2009 at 8:25 PM
The fact they briefed members of Congress on this doomed the case anyway. Sounds like a lot of wind but not a big fire. We’ll see. I can’t imagine why NYPD would screw this up either. If they knew what their job was, they wouldn’t blow it. Something else went wrong.
archer52 on September 16, 2009 at 11:25 PM
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