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Signal to Attack? Worries Over Latest al Qaeda Tape

July 13, 2007 12:36 PM

Signaltoattac_mn Fearing a possible coded signal to attack, U.S. intelligence and law enforcement officials are studying an unusual pattern of words in the latest audiotape from al Qaeda's No. 2 man, Ayman al Zawahri.

On the tape, posted on the Internet Wednesday, Zawahri repeats one phrase three times at the end of his message.

Have I not conveyed? Oh God be my witness.

Have I not conveyed? Oh God be my witness.

Have I not conveyed? Oh God be my witness.

A new FBI analysis of al Qaeda messages, obtained by the Blotter on ABCNews.com, warns that "continued messages that convey their strategic intent to strike the U.S. homeland and U.S. interests worldwide should not be discounted as merely deceptive noise."

Intelligence analysts are also investigating technical clues that Zawahri's most recent audio message was phoned in via computer phone, using voice over Internet Protocol, or VoIP.

The ease and frequency of Zawahri's propaganda messages is one of the factors that have led U.S. intelligence analysts to worry about a possible attack against the United States this summer.

The new FBI analysis, reviewing more than 70 al Qaeda messages over the last 14 years, found a recurring theme of "the duty to kill Americans -- both military and civilian."

Do you have a tip for Brian Ross and the Investigative Team?

July 13, 2007 | Permalink | User Comments (323)

User Comments

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"The new FBI analysis, reviewing more than 70 al Qaeda messages over the last 14 years, found a recurring theme of "the duty to kill Americans -- both military and civilian." - Over the LAST 14 YEARS! As in all the way back to 1993, when the American public was even more clueless than it is now...AQ is a new thing...yeah, right, ...

Posted by: Jazz | Jul 13, 2007 12:55:15 PM

I want to see the "pink mist" surround this thug's head!!! I do not want this piece of crap taken alive. Kill him.

Posted by: Ed Stanowicz | Jul 13, 2007 1:17:31 PM

I don't think that anyone is saying that AQ is a new thing Jazz. I think they're all saying that AQ is funded by the Bush administration.

Posted by: Punk | Jul 13, 2007 1:18:33 PM

When in Wonder,
When in Doubt.
Run in Circles,
Scream and Shout.

I forget.. is this terror alert 1,754 or 1,755 so far this year?

Posted by: Dutch | Jul 13, 2007 1:20:22 PM

why not. congress has not bothered to secure our borders. what a crock. i hope they are now happy. and when 50,000 are killed by al Qaeda will they still be happy or will they blame the citizens for being good targets. what a shame congress is


frank la may

Posted by: frank la may | Jul 13, 2007 1:25:15 PM

What does Richard Clarke say about this tape?

Lets get the real Al Qaeda expert tell us what is going on.

Either way Al Zawahri seems to be a bit busy at the moment. And what better response to Bush saying that Al Qaeda are no longer a threat?

Posted by: Chris | Jul 13, 2007 1:30:11 PM

As DickNBush has assured us, we're fighting them over there, so we won't have to fight them here. So, this article can't be right - since, as we all know, DickNBush have never been wrong. (I'm laughing so hard, I hope I typed that right!)

Posted by: ImpeachmentNOW | Jul 13, 2007 1:32:44 PM

Mohammad's Last Sermon:

All those who listen to me shall pass on my words to others and those to others again; and may the last ones understand my words better than those who listen to me directly. Be my witness O God, that I have conveyed your message to your people.

Posted by: Quisp | Jul 13, 2007 1:33:26 PM

At least the Liberal Left has things figured out.
Far more economical to have American citizens killed here in our own soil than the military doing exactly what they are supposed to do.

Bush is the real terrorist.....yeah, right!

Posted by: Navigator7 | Jul 13, 2007 1:33:40 PM

Just keep it up.

Just keep it up.

Just keep it up.

Posted by: Johnny Belmar | Jul 13, 2007 1:33:57 PM

Well he shouldn't be -that hard to find. I mean, if we listen to the convoluted tortured logic of our President then he's either -in- Iraq or else he's going to attack us because he's near Iraq or else he's a threat because we haven't spent enough TRILLIONS of dollars in Iraq. Or perhaps he's just an evil guy who will do what he wants with no connection at all to Iraq. We spent all of our money and he's still coming at us. Good use of the public's funds. I wonder how many hospitals we could have funded by now?

Posted by: ScaredOfTheTruth? | Jul 13, 2007 1:44:07 PM

I have a tip for Mr. Ross. Could it be the real terrorists are in the White House? Namely, Bush, Cheney, Rove, Gonzales, Chertoff. They continue to leave our borders wide open to terrorists and anyone who wants to invade America. They may as well mail a free ticket to America for Zawahri & Friends. Don't bother with a passport, we'd all be dead by the time our government could issue one!

Posted by: Had Enough! | Jul 13, 2007 1:47:45 PM

sounds more like a prayer to me

Posted by: Tim | Jul 13, 2007 2:05:34 PM

Jazz,
AQ only exists because Bush invaded Iraq after he blew up the Twin Towers. Didn't you get the memo???

Posted by: Don Hyatt | Jul 13, 2007 2:06:36 PM

With all due respect, Mr. Ross, I find your public disclosure of methods and means (VoIP suspicions) professionally irresponsible and damaging and personally enraging.

You have little to prove regarding your investigative abilities, sir, and little to professionally gain from exposing such details. It does, however, seriously damage our ability to observe and monitor the senior leadership of a terorist group who has killed thousands of Americans, at home and abroad, and - as you yourself are reporting even within this report - clearly seeks to kill more of our citizens between our shores.

We used to be able to monitor Usama bin Laden by his (and others') use of satellite phones until the media publicly reported our means then.

Just because you learn something does not obligate you to report it.

I beg of you and your editors, please check your ego at the door when tempted to report extremely sensitive material.

Posted by: Steve Schippert | Jul 13, 2007 2:07:50 PM

And to Think, when Slick Willie was in office, he was offered Osama's head on a platter 3 different times, and Willie was too busy finding more places to stick cigars to bother to do anything, save bomb a drug factory that had little or no impact on the then developing Al Queda...Had Willie crawled out from the current skirt he was under and taken Osama out of the picture on one of the 3 times he had the chance to do so, would 9/11 have ever happened? Would we be in Iraq? Would we have such the huge amount of terrorists to deal with that we do today? You can blame Bush all you want, but the fact remains that if Slick Willie would have followed the old "an ounce of prevention equals a pound of cure" instead of following his cigar, the world may have been a better place than it currently is.

Posted by: Me | Jul 13, 2007 2:19:04 PM

I think any prudent intel person would take pause with the consistency of language in the communiques. That is what the article references. I also think it is important to note that the warnings ABC is passing along to the public are what we, the public, asked for after 9/11. Remember the disgust and anger we all felt after hearing that the agencies all had some kind of knowledge that chatter indicated an attack? Well, now you are getting the information that we all wanted. Don't be a whiner about conspiracy theories and Bush. If an attack happens, it's not because of Bush goofs. Its because that is what they do and it won't stop after Bush is gone.

Posted by: Bill | Jul 13, 2007 2:20:37 PM

Doesn't look like a code to me...looks more like a trigger. Kind of like a base coach in baseball. When you see me touch my nose, then then brim of my hat, then nose again....that means steal home.

Posted by: upurjihad | Jul 13, 2007 2:21:55 PM

Thanks for that insightful comment Jazz. Very helpful.

Posted by: HelpfulInsightThankYouTeam | Jul 13, 2007 2:24:27 PM

There is something wrong with this picture. Congress wants to bring the toops home and al Qaeda is sending there people around to kill Americann'S.

The war is not lost. Only in the mind's of a bunch of cowards in congress. I have news for them Americans are not losers THEY ARE WINERS AND OUR MILITARY IS THE BEST IN THE WORLD.

FOR WHAT EVER REASON THIS BUNCH OF YELLOW BELLIES WANT TO LOSE. WHO IN THERE WRIGHT MINDS WANT TO FOLLOW LOSERS

Posted by: Bob G | Jul 13, 2007 2:24:40 PM

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