US alert based partly on 'fabricated' threat

Marc Clifton

How come this isn't in any of the US papers? http://breakingnews.iol.ie/news/story.asp?j=51134540&p=5yy35yzx[^] A key piece of information leading to the recent terror alerts in the United States was fabricated, it was reported today. Senior police officials told ABC News that a claim by a captured al-Qaida member that Washington, New York or Florida would be hit by a “dirty bomb” sometime this week had proven to be a product of his imagination. The informant had described how an al-Qaida cell operating in either Virginia or Detroit had developed a way to slip past airport scanners with dirty bombs encased in shoes, suitcases, or laptops, ABC said. The informant reportedly cited specific targets of government buildings and religious centres. “This piece of that puzzle turns out to be fabricated and therefore the reason for a lot of the alarm, particularly in Washington this week, has been dissipated after they found out that this information was not true,” said Vince Cannistraro, a former CIA counter-terrorism chief. It was only after America’s threat level was raised to orange – meaning high - last week, that the informant was subjected to a lie detector polygraph test by the FBI, officials told ABC News. “This person did not pass,” Cannistraro said. Despite the fabricated report, there are no plans to change the US threat level. Officials said other intelligence has been validated and that the high level of precautions is fully warranted. I especially like the last parapraph. Oh good, let's keep terrorizing citizens with fear. [edit] I can't wait to find out that the recent Osama tapes have been a US fabrication to bolster the Iraq-Al Queda connection claim. [/edit] Marc Help! I'm an AI running around in someone's f*cked up universe simulator.
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Megan Forbes

Pretty incredible. I read it on Sky, and was wondering the whole way through how they could trust a lie detector so much, till the last line said "The man has now admitted he was making it up"

Throw in a bit of S&M or eye-ball sucking**-Paul Watson on the merits of swearing, sex and obscenities in CP posts** ...they assumed that reasonably intelligent adults would know enough to leave the building if it was burning. Those who did not were, presumably, expendable, and there was less paperwork involved than trying to fire them**-Roger Wright on fire drills at work**

HENDRIK R

Marc Clifton wrote: Despite the fabricated report, there are no plans to change the US threat level. Officials said other intelligence has been validated and that the high level of precautions is fully warranted. What could the reason be when it's not the claimed terrorism? The first thing that occurs to me is the pictures of people panically running to supermarkets and stockpiling plastic bags and duct tape. That leaves only one solution: it's the plastics-producing industry! And to say it Bush - like: I can't really prove it, but doesn't matter because you've to prove me that I'm wrong! ;)

Ed Gadziemski

How come this isn't in any of the US papers? Because it sells newspapers. All the US media are having a boom time with the "war" on terrorism and Iraq. Viewership of broadcast and cable news is up and newspaper and magazine sales are up. This is a media sponsored "war" as much as a Bush "war". I can't wait to find out that the recent Osama tapes have been a US fabrication The latest Osama tape is fake. He would not refer to the US as an "eagle". Maybe a crow or a vulture. I don't know that the US fabricated it, but they sure don't mind that somebody did.

Lost User

An out of work impressionist perhaps ? :eek: The tigress is here :-D

Chris Losinger

1984 comes to mind. We have always been at war with al Queda. War is Peace. Seriously, can you think of a better way to stir up anti-Iraq sentiment than by manufacturing a terrorist crisis? given that GWB's spinners have already linked Iraq to 9/11 in most people's minds (without even a shred of evidence), it just needs a little push to get us into rally-round-the-flag mode. someday, historians will look back in amazement, at how the entire country was duped into supporting an optional war. can't happen here? Remember The Maine! -c

Be very, very careful what you put into that head, because you will never, ever get it out. --Thomas Cardinal Wolsey

Fractals

brianwelsch

I heard about this on the radio this morning. It amazed me that they did not try to match this guys story up with anything else first. What the hell are these people doing?? I had a feeling the terror alert was part of a Bush scam to get people to realize we are in danger (although not from Iraq). This just helps confirm that a little more. BW "We get general information and specific information, but none of the specific information talks about time, place or methods or means..." - Tom Ridge - US Secretary of Homeland Security