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Al-Qaida threatens further attacks
Source: Agencies |
November 22, 2010, Monday
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AL-QAIDA in the Arabian Peninsula is promising more small-scale attacks like its attempts to bomb two United States-bound cargo planes, which it likens to bleeding its enemy to death by a thousand cuts, in a special edition of the group's English online magazine, Inspire.
The editors boast that what they call Operation Hemorrhage was cheap, and easy, using common items that together with shipping, cost only US$4,200 to carry out.
Alerted to the October bomb plot by Saudi intelligence, security officials chased the packages across five countries, trying frantically over the next two days to prevent an explosion that could have come at any moment. The pursuit showed that even when the world's counterterrorism systems work, preventing an attack is often a close thing.
The group says it's part of a new strategy of smaller attacks to hit the US economy, according to the special edition of the online magazine, made available by both Ben Venzke's IntelCenter, and the Site Intelligence Group.
"To bring down America we do not need to strike big," the editors wrote. With the "security phobia that is sweeping America, it is more feasible to stage smaller attacks that involve less players and less time to launch," thereby circumventing US security, they concluded.
In the magazine, an author identified as the group's head of foreign operations said the package attacks were intended to cause economic harm, not casualties. "We knew that cargo planes are staffed by only a pilot and a co-pilot," the author wrote, "so our objective was not to cause maximum casualties but to cause maximum losses to the American economy," by striking at the US freight industry.
The al-Qaida offshoot insisted it also brought down a UPS cargo plane in Dubai in September, in addition to the October 29 attempts to bring down a FedEx plane, and a UPS plane bound for the US. But US officials insist the Dubai crash was an accident caused by a battery fire, not terrorism.
The editors' boasted that they chose printer cartridges in which to hide the explosive because toner is carbon-based, with a molecular composition "close to that of (the explosive) PETN," so it would not be detected. "We emptied the contents of the toner cartridge and filled it with 340 grams of PETN," the °?writers said.
In one article, the editors bragged of how cheap the operation was, listing the cost of the items, including two Nokia mobiles, two HP printers, plus shipping, transportation and other miscellaneous expenses adding up to a total bill of US$4,200.
Those who monitor Jihadist sites say the publication, posted Saturday, is a radical departure from the shadowy claims of responsibility common to most al-Qaida groups. "We have never seen a jihadist group in the al-Qaida orbit ever release such a detailed accounting of the philosophy, operational details, intent and next steps following a major attack," said IntelCenter's Venzke.
The fact that the group "can pump out this propaganda" shows al-Qaida can operate with relative freedom, says Christopher Boucek of the Carnegie Endowment for Peace - a non-profit organization promoting international cooperation.
The editors boast that what they call Operation Hemorrhage was cheap, and easy, using common items that together with shipping, cost only US$4,200 to carry out.
Alerted to the October bomb plot by Saudi intelligence, security officials chased the packages across five countries, trying frantically over the next two days to prevent an explosion that could have come at any moment. The pursuit showed that even when the world's counterterrorism systems work, preventing an attack is often a close thing.
The group says it's part of a new strategy of smaller attacks to hit the US economy, according to the special edition of the online magazine, made available by both Ben Venzke's IntelCenter, and the Site Intelligence Group.
"To bring down America we do not need to strike big," the editors wrote. With the "security phobia that is sweeping America, it is more feasible to stage smaller attacks that involve less players and less time to launch," thereby circumventing US security, they concluded.
In the magazine, an author identified as the group's head of foreign operations said the package attacks were intended to cause economic harm, not casualties. "We knew that cargo planes are staffed by only a pilot and a co-pilot," the author wrote, "so our objective was not to cause maximum casualties but to cause maximum losses to the American economy," by striking at the US freight industry.
The al-Qaida offshoot insisted it also brought down a UPS cargo plane in Dubai in September, in addition to the October 29 attempts to bring down a FedEx plane, and a UPS plane bound for the US. But US officials insist the Dubai crash was an accident caused by a battery fire, not terrorism.
The editors' boasted that they chose printer cartridges in which to hide the explosive because toner is carbon-based, with a molecular composition "close to that of (the explosive) PETN," so it would not be detected. "We emptied the contents of the toner cartridge and filled it with 340 grams of PETN," the °?writers said.
In one article, the editors bragged of how cheap the operation was, listing the cost of the items, including two Nokia mobiles, two HP printers, plus shipping, transportation and other miscellaneous expenses adding up to a total bill of US$4,200.
Those who monitor Jihadist sites say the publication, posted Saturday, is a radical departure from the shadowy claims of responsibility common to most al-Qaida groups. "We have never seen a jihadist group in the al-Qaida orbit ever release such a detailed accounting of the philosophy, operational details, intent and next steps following a major attack," said IntelCenter's Venzke.
The fact that the group "can pump out this propaganda" shows al-Qaida can operate with relative freedom, says Christopher Boucek of the Carnegie Endowment for Peace - a non-profit organization promoting international cooperation.
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