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U.S. Intel Chief: Tall Buildings and Mass Casualties Top AQ's Hit List

July 20, 2007 1:56 PM

Usintelchief_mn Chicago's Sears Tower and other iconic buildings in Seattle, Dallas and Los Angeles still top al Qaeda's target list in the U.S., according to the top U.S. intelligence official.

"Their intentions are mass casualties larger than 9/11 inside the United States," Director of National Intelligence Mike McConnell said in an interview with the D.C. radio station WTOP. "A very large building. The Sears Tower, or some large building in Seattle or L.A. or Dallas."

McConnell also confirmed publicly what senior officials had told ABC News privately.

"In some cases they've got people positioned, more in Europe -- we suspect here in the United States, but we have no clear and compelling evidence they're in the United States," McConnell told WTOP.

ABCNews.com reported last week that senior law enforcement and intelligence officials had "multiple and credible" reports that an al Qaeda terror cell may be on its way to the United States or could already be in the country.

Click Here for Full Blotter Coverage.

The Library Tower in Los Angeles has always been on al Qaeda's hit list.

In February 2006, ABC News reported that al Qaeda's original plan for 9/11 was to use a fifth jet to bring down the 73-story tower on the West Coast.

And as previously reported on the Blotter on ABCNews.com, 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, in a written statement, admitted he was responsible for planning and financing a "second wave" of attacks targeting the Library Tower in Los Angeles, the Sears Tower in Chicago, the Plaza Bank in Washington state and the Empire State Building in New York.

Echoing the National Intelligence Estimate released earlier this week, McConnell said the safe haven al Qaeda enjoys in Pakistan has re-energized the terror group to pre-9/11 levels and said the group has stepped up its planning and training efforts for future attacks.

McConnell joins other officials, including Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, in voicing his concern of al Qaeda's threat against the U.S. 

"We do worry about whether they are rebuilding their capabilities," Chertoff told the editorial board of the Chicago Tribune last week. "We strike at them; we degrade them; but they rebuild."

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

July 20, 2007 | Permalink | User Comments (126)

User Comments

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Meh. Sounds like a bunch of pointless fearmongering to me. Al Qaeda can hope for and plan for whatever they like. Sure, we need to stay vigilant - but they got lucky on 9/11 because we were unprepared.

Their delusions of grandeur don't frighten me.

Posted by: john | Jul 20, 2007 2:35:01 PM

Okay , now tell us something we don't know.....

Posted by: gymgal | Jul 20, 2007 2:36:26 PM

The Sears Tower will only crumble if Bush needs an excuse to attack Iran. Someone call Dick and George and tell them that Iran has Iraq's WMDs...

Posted by: allan_krueger | Jul 20, 2007 2:39:32 PM

Someone foun a military missile under the main Newark New Jersey Airport's flightpath. The Happy Jihadis aren't particular on what they attack. They realise the nescessity of air travel in the US. In my humble opinion I think that is what they will continue to try to attack. Paralysing the air routes will paralyse the American economy.

Al Qaeda's stated goal is to bankrupt the US so it cannot exist militarily as it does now. THAT is what the security services should be concentrating on.

Posted by: Chris | Jul 20, 2007 2:40:07 PM

As if this is News? Only to people who have been in a coma since 09/11/01. Sheesh

Posted by: Bridget | Jul 20, 2007 2:45:48 PM

Is any one else just sick of hearing about these Muslim extremists and their plans to blow everything up. When are we gonna stop being so PC and say that we've had enough of this "peaceful religion"?

Posted by: CMW | Jul 20, 2007 2:47:56 PM

It is time to kill them. Sorry Pakistan but we have to go in and kill them. If the Muslim world wants to revolt let them and then nukes. All Muslims are not terrorists but all terrorists have been Muslims. Time to kill the radicals and stop talking

Posted by: Paul Burns | Jul 20, 2007 2:49:13 PM

We can send them photos of tall buildings in Indonesia. That would be a good place for them to start.

Posted by: Andy | Jul 20, 2007 2:50:00 PM

Other mode of mass trans. should be looked at as well as airplanes.

Posted by: Keith | Jul 20, 2007 2:52:08 PM

We have entered a period of time in Nation's History capitulating a Police State. Probably the only reasonable response is for us all to be on the lookout for possible terrorists.

Posted by: Philip Thomas | Jul 20, 2007 2:58:01 PM

bin ladin has won,hes turned the U.S.into a high security state wasting billions of tax dollars in fear of another attack.

Posted by: chris reid | Jul 20, 2007 2:58:09 PM

Okay, I know this all just more of the same tired old Boo! stuff they've been spewing for 5 years. But what's the deal with this flurry of scary Al Qaeda threats all at once? Is something getting ready to go down, and they're trying to get ahead of the story? Watch out for what happens tomorrow while W is under the knife. Boo!

Posted by: Bill | Jul 20, 2007 2:58:54 PM

The Prophet is spinning even faster in his grave. No Moslems protest against the terrorists. There is no one left to be holy.

Posted by: Mo Man | Jul 20, 2007 3:06:05 PM

Anybody else get the feeling we're going to have a new "attack" soon? Bush Inc. is running out of options, and the GOP is getting really nervous about being voted out in 2008. Santorum with his clear prediction (he seems to be pretty confident), and Chertoff with his "gut feeling". I mean, if Osama really attacked us in the first place, how stupid are WE if here we are six years later with no head on a stake? Half a trillion dollars later, and no Osama? Please. People need to wake up.

Posted by: Stuart Provine | Jul 20, 2007 3:06:08 PM

Its funny to me how much bull the news and media is, every time support for the war goes down, all of this "info" starts flowing into the media... so everyone who falls for this, wake up... it's all lies aimed to manipulate you. They want you to live in fear so they can keep killing people to make people like cheney even more profits from his oil company... I hate you abcnews

Posted by: matt | Jul 20, 2007 3:11:03 PM

An al Qaeda terrorist attack in the United States again is still very probable, so we must be on guard. Such attacks serve as a double-edged sword, which not only cause casualties and fear but to also disrupt the markets and economies. In saying that, I have not heard of any legislation that would require an immediately shut down the financial markets, as a safety value approach to minimize damage to Wall Street in such of an attack should occur. Of course we want to have best practices that prevent attacks and save lives but also need to minimize the collateral damage to the markets and economies which in return make such attacks less effective as economic warfare.


Posted by: threeriverscrossing | Jul 20, 2007 3:14:07 PM

"Al Qaeda's stated goal is to bankrupt the US so it cannot exist militarily as it does now. THAT is what the security services should be concentrating on."

It's a good strategy. It was one component of how the US won the cold war. If they can induce more expenses than they spend in a ratio greater than the differences in income, they eventually win. Thus, they never actually have to succeed in another attack-- they just have to induce sufficient security spending. If the federal government keeps increasing spending and reducing taxes as they have for the past five years, it plays right into their hands.

Posted by: Sam | Jul 20, 2007 3:15:24 PM

"Is any one else just sick of hearing about these Muslim extremists and their plans to blow everything up. When are we gonna stop being so PC and say that we've had enough of this "peaceful religion"?"

My guess is many Iraqis and Iranians are saying the exact same thing about Christianity. It's not really about religion, though, it's about power, influence, and money.

Posted by: Sam | Jul 20, 2007 3:17:50 PM

I work in the Sears Tower.


Think of me if it happens.

To all you idiotic Lefties... the threat is persistant and real.

It was 8 years between the two WTC attacks.. these folks are obssessed (sort of like you and your BDS)

This country needs to stop all Muslim immigration. Monitor all non-citizens who are here and monitor what goes on in the Mosques, since 80-90% are controlled by Imams from Saudi Arabia.

Posted by: Vince P | Jul 20, 2007 3:22:39 PM

Six years later and there are still folks who think Al Qaeda carried out 9/11? Please read anything from ANY non-corporate US news source, and you may change your mind. Or, wait till another false flag operation has removed what's left of our government and Bush has declared himself dictator under his Executive Orders NSPD51 and HSPD20.

Posted by: h5mind | Jul 20, 2007 3:24:01 PM

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