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U.S. Intel Chief: Tall Buildings and Mass Casualties Top AQ's Hit List
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ShareJuly 20, 2007 1:56 PM
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)
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Guess what everybody, when you jump in a pool of water, you get wet
i dont mean to be sarcastic but none of this information is really all thats newworthy in the sense that it should be common sense
Posted by: Kevin | Jul 20, 2007 3:27:55 PM
Boring - why so many old stories & facts?
Posted by: columbusjackets | Jul 20, 2007 3:27:56 PM
Did someone get someone else to write this article as a scare tactic? I personally am tired of the media, but especially the news networks in this country trying to manipulate what Americans think and feel. Luckily I am smart enough and strong enough to resist this kind of negative persuasion, but I believe, unfortunately, a lot of people fall for this useless rhetoric. It only creates anxiety and that can't be good for any culture. Remember, 90 some-odd percent of what you worry about never happens!
Posted by: caughtinline | Jul 20, 2007 3:35:20 PM
Pro-terrorism activists on U.S. college campuses openly advocate for the destruction of the U.S. and Israel.
Posted by: Anti-Racist Blog | Jul 20, 2007 3:35:24 PM
This just in- ABC news has received information that terrorists may be behind sept.11 - more later!!!!
Posted by: columbusjackets | Jul 20, 2007 3:35:37 PM
If our D**N F**L president didn't keep letting these fre*ks come into the country, maybe this problem wouldn't be as bad as it seems to be.
Posted by: artist22 | Jul 20, 2007 3:36:07 PM
Islam working hard to bring the world forward into the 8th century.
Posted by: Ken | Jul 20, 2007 3:38:11 PM
Bill asks:..."what's the deal with this flurry of scary Al Qaeda threats all at once"
The administration is laying the groundwork for why Gen Petraus's September report of no-progress-in-Iraq will be moved to the back burner: let's get everybody focused on the "imminent attack here" instead.
Posted by: govtDr | Jul 20, 2007 3:40:30 PM
I agree
Posted by: mar | Jul 20, 2007 3:58:08 PM
"When are we gonna stop being so PC and say that we've had enough of this 'peaceful religion'?"
Are you serious?!? Are you seriously suggesting that the 99.99% of people practicing Islam should be lumped together with these fringe radicals??? I suppose anyone who is Christian is also a crazy right-wing conservative who likes to blow up clinics??? C'mon.
Posted by: E | Jul 20, 2007 4:07:11 PM
The Muslim Terrorists have already defeated the Democrats / Liberals / leftists of America. But Bush, our Military and and real Americans cant be defeated. The best friends the terrorists have in the USA are the senate democrats.
Posted by: Steve LtCol USMC ret | Jul 20, 2007 4:12:22 PM
We have NO border security. Hence we are not protected against terrorism. The democrats want the votes from the illegals, they really don't care about us. I figured the republican's would jump all over that, nope. They don't want to protect the border either. Like I said, with no border, there's no security.
Posted by: dan | Jul 20, 2007 4:18:41 PM
Why is it that the islamic community
can't get it together issue a fatwa
against anyone who participates in violence and killing. When are they going to step up world wide with one voice to firmly condemn anyone who supports al queda?
Posted by: dy | Jul 20, 2007 4:26:47 PM
This is not like the boy who cried wolf - we need to be vigilant but go on with our lives. Let's not ever forget 9/11 nor can we afford to be paralized by fear.
Posted by: Marsh | Jul 20, 2007 4:32:03 PM
Boo. now pay up and shuddup while we go on raping the world.
Posted by: elfranche | Jul 20, 2007 4:32:56 PM
again?
Posted by: denizen23 | Jul 20, 2007 4:38:56 PM
I wouldn't have that type of attitude. It's good to know that we have our security doing all they can. God helps us all!
Posted by: Sonia | Jul 20, 2007 4:53:02 PM
We all have to realize that these extreme islmist nut cases want to have the old islam control that they had 2000 years ago when Persia was a great nation. We are a big country and have to be strong in our unity to defeat these people. They can never have the capabilities to nuke the whole country, but they can destroy us little by little but only if we let them.
Posted by: Ginny | Jul 20, 2007 4:53:53 PM
Why we don't just nuke Iran and the region where al-qaeda is believe to be holed up in pakistan is beyond me.
Posted by: metropolis | Jul 20, 2007 5:11:05 PM
Those of us who are not top intel chiefs kind of figured this out by 2001.
Posted by: mark | Jul 20, 2007 5:56:01 PM
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