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U.S. Warns of Summer al-Qaeda Attack
Al-Qaeda operatives are believed to be in the United States and preparing an attack this summer, possibly hoping to affect the outcome of U.S. elections, the Washington Post reported today (see GSN, May 19). Attorney General John Ashcroft and FBI Director Robert Mueller are set to hold a joint news conference this afternoon on the danger, according to the Post. Intelligence obtained about a month ago indicated an attack on the United States might be unleashed between now and early September. Other intelligence suggests al-Qaeda is pleased with the change in government resulting from the March 11 terrorist bombings in Spain and might be hoping to affect U.S. and other elections. “They saw that an attack of that nature can have economic and political consequences and have some impact on the electoral process,” said one federal official with access to counterterrorism intelligence (Schmidt/Priest, Washington Post, May 26). Meanwhile, the International Institute of Strategic Studies released its annual survey of world affairs yesterday, in which it says that al-Qaeda is probably planning major attacks on the United States and Europe, and is possibly seeking weapons of mass destruction for such attacks. The report also notes that the United States is al-Qaeda’s prime target in a war it sees as a struggle between civilizations, the Associated Press reported. Osama bin Laden’s network has more than 18,000 potential terrorists scattered in more than 60 nations, according to the study. Although about half of al-Qaeda’s top 30 leaders have been killed or captured, the organization still has an effective leadership, with bin Laden apparently remaining in a pivotal role, the report notes. The report suggests that the U.S.-led war on terrorism, and particularly the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, may have helped al-Qaeda. Driving the network out of Afghanistan in late 2001 appears to have dispersed operatives to many countries, making them almost invisible and more difficult to combat. The U.S. occupation of Iraq also brought recruits from across Islamic nations, the study says. Developments such as the democratization of Iraq and the end of fighting in Israel could accelerate the defeat of al-Qaeda, the study goes on to say (Barry Renfrew, Associated Press/Miami Herald, May 26).
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