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Leaders of the U.S. intelligence community expressed certainty yesterday that al-Qaeda or associated extremist groups would attempt a strike against the United States within six months, the Washington Post reported (see GSN, Jan. 28).
(Feb. 3) -
Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, shown in 2001. The terrorist organization or an affiliate is "certain" to attempt an attack on the United States within six months, top U.S. intelligence officials said yesterday (Getty Images).
"Al-Qaeda maintains its intent to attack the homeland -- preferably with a large-scale operation that would cause mass casualties, harm the U.S. economy or both," National Intelligence Director Dennis Blair told the Senate intelligence committee.
The heads of the CIA and FBI and top intelligence officers from the State and Defense departments agreed with Blair's assessment that an attack attempt against the United States in the next half year was "certain." The group said they needed more freedom to take terrorism suspects into custody and conduct interrogations.
Despite al-Qaeda's recent troubles and waning support from the Muslim world, associated regional entities are growing more focused on conducting strikes on the United States or other Western sites, according to Blair and CIA Director Leon Panetta.
"They are moving to other safe havens and regional nodes such as Yemen, Somalia, the Maghreb and others," Panetta said. He cited foiled terrorist plots in Chicago and Colorado to illustrate that these groups have been effective in stationing operatives within the United States.
Other threats to the United States include the Iranian and North Korean nuclear efforts, criminal cartels organizations, and the new possibility of a developing nation's economy to crash (Joby Warrick, Washington Post, Feb. 3).