Ashcroft's terror warning

May 29, 2004 8:03 AM

One of Ashcroft's "credible sources" from last week's terror warning came from Abu Hafs al-Masri Brigades, a group that has also claimed responsibility for the blackout in the Northeast last year, the power outage in London, the Madrid bombing and has been called "notoriously unreliable" by U.S. officials. “The only thing they haven't claimed credit for recently is the cicada invasion of Washington". Ashcroft blames the FBI who have admitted that claims that terrorists were 90 percent ready to attack came not from al-Qaida, but from the Abu Hafs al-Masri Brigades’ statements.
posted by gfrobe (11 comments total)

You'll be sorry you didn't get scared-er when you're blown to kingdom come. Even a stopped clock is right twice a day.
posted by dayvin at 8:18 AM on May 29, 2004

Actually, I heard it was because Ashcroft received a tearful "You'll be sorry" from a 12-year old Sikh, after the Attorney General had (only slightly intentionally) run over a beloved neighborhood cat.

can i have your full name please.

what a non-story. Chatter and wannabe groups spreading disinfo are about as common as these types of posts on metafilter.
posted by clavdivs at 9:03 AM on May 29, 2004

as these types of posts on metafilter.

What types of posts are these?
posted by Space Coyote at 9:19 AM on May 29, 2004

The fact that it was John Ashcroft rather than Tom Ridge who issued the latest terror alert underscores the rivalry between Justice and Homeland Security—and highlights the administration’s attempt to undermine John Kerry
posted by homunculus at 12:05 PM on May 29, 2004

Cladivs, what makes this a non-story? And who exactly are the chatter wannabe groups spreading disinfo here?
posted by gfrobe at 12:33 PM on May 29, 2004

most past Terror Alerts have been called based on -- we later discovered -- lame-ass intelligence.
but after all a war that cost (to date) 200 bn dollars and 800+ GI deaths to America has been waged on equally shaky foundations, so the bar's been lowered.

since the Bush administration is still taking a certain amount of (polite, as it is always the case with those most un-shrill Congressional Democrats) shit for their appalling indifference to pre 9/11 intelligence (Aug 6 meeting, anybody?) they're at this point screaming wolf all the time. it makes them look concerned with something else than the torture of Iraqis (at least 70% of them innocent) and the smearing of poor (not to mention admittedly lame) John Kerry

so next time America gets hit really bad on her soil they'll be able to scream "we told you it was coming". and try to wash their hands, make their boss look presidential in the process.

my idea? Ashcroft's on his way out to a glorious career of motivational speaker/faith healer, and be replaced by somebody marginally less gaffe-prone (or less insane, depends on who you believe). Bush -- if elected, or Diebold-propelled to the White House -- will anyway give the fundys at least two new anti-Roe SCOTUS Justices. they won't cry for long about their friend Ashcroft getting the boot

What types of posts are these?


posts that make clavdivs' Republican friends look bad/amateurish/dishonest
posted by matteo at 1:06 PM on May 29, 2004

The terror warnings are pure theater. If something happens they sit back and say "told ya' so" but if nothing happens they say "see? we made you safer." The Bushies are using the threat of terrorism to their own political advantage.
posted by elwoodwiles at 1:34 PM on May 29, 2004

any wonder why most americans and the rest of the world despise ashcroft (the man who lost an election to a dead guy)?... remember when he announced the capture of major terror suspect in moscow - two years ago, who turned out to be a two-bit nobody from chicago.
posted by specialk420 at 2:25 PM on May 29, 2004

posts that make clavdivs' Republican friends look bad/amateurish/dishonest

what makes you think I have friends?

At this point I relish in the POWER we have to watch you twitter and shake and at what? a press conference about a possible attack planned, from news sources that do not have the same info Ridge and co. have. Now when the government starts putting americans in jail enmasse, out of fear, I will join your shrill brigade.

sure thats the dark side but hey, I don't care at this point.

which worries me more then some ashcroftian amber alert.
posted by clavdivs at 3:07 PM on May 29, 2004

"While officials of the FBI and the Justice Department of the US were telling citizens this week to prepare for possible terrorist attacks over the summer (although Thursday there appeared to be some confusion among US officials over those warnings), a well-known strategic think tank and two human rights organizations were questioning the direction and value of the US-led war on terror. They alleged that the war was actually leading to increased terrorism around the world."
posted by homunculus at 1:09 PM on May 30, 2004

remember when he announced the capture of major terror suspect in moscow - two years ago, who turned out to be a two-bit nobody from chicago.

You mean this two-bit nobody from Chicago?

Among the key leaders of al Qaeda that mentored or directed Padilla were Mohammad Atef, the organization's operations chief, Khalid Sheik Mohammed, who planned many of the group's operations and Abu Zubaida, one of al Qaeda's top operatives, Deputy Attorney General James Comey said. When Padilla came back to the United States for his mission, they had given him $10,000, a cell phone and names and numbers of people to contact.

Padilla was recruited by al Qaeda and originally trained to blow up apartment buildings using natural gas supplies, Comey said in a press conference. His partner in that scheme was to be Adnan G. El Shukrijumah, a Saudi native who lived in South Florida in the mid-1990s and is still on an FBI most wanted list, but the plan failed because the two men could not get along, Comey said.

Still when Padilla returned to the United States, his handlers in al Qaeda were not sure if he would try to blow up buildings with natural gas or set off a radioactive "dirty bomb." He had offered to do both, Comey said.

posted by David Dark at 2:10 PM on June 1, 2004