Yemen plot exposes new world of U.S. spying
By Pam Benson
As details of the foiled al Qaeda plot to blow up a U.S.-bound airline became public, the world learned not only about a daring operation to stop terrorists, but also about the new reality of how U.S. intelligence works.
American and foreign intelligence partners working hand in hand to rid the world of the scourge of terror. You didn't see much of that 10 years ago, but it's exactly what happened recently.
The Saudis infiltrate an al Qaeda terrorist group in Yemen with their own mole, and the CIA and others are brought into the mix to help run an operation that eventually foils a possible bomb attack against an airliner destined for America.
"I'm not at all surprised that the press accounts of this have liaison services, particularly the Saudis, playing such a prominent role," said former CIA Director Michael Hayden. "That's the way I would have expected it to go."
The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, changed everything in the American intelligence community. It drove home the point that the Cold War was over. The battlefield looked quite different and the United States wasn't quite prepared.
It no longer sufficed to have satellites stare down at a static enemy behind the Iron Curtain, with tens of thousands of troops separating the Soviet Union from Western Europe.
The enemy became terrorist groups that for the most part hid in safe havens and operated from ungoverned territories seemingly out of the reach of traditional intelligence and military responses.
"The ability to penetrate a terrorist organization is an incredibly difficult task that we were poorly positioned to do in the 1990s and even a few years after 9/11," said Amy Zegart, a senior fellow at Stanford University's Hoover Institution and an expert on the intelligence community.
It has been an arduous task and it is far from complete, but Zegart believes U.S. efforts to bolster human intelligence capability and work much more closely with foreign intelligence counterparts are paying off.
Former FBI agent Ali Soufan told CNN the joint intelligence operation was as good as it gets.
"You have a place like Yemen. You have al Qaeda, CIA, you have other friendly intelligence agencies. You have a source inside. It doesn't get any better than that," he said.
And the operation turned out to be a twofer - that is, the mole not only secured the new generation bomb and helped get it out of Yemen, but he also helped identify the location of a senior al Qaeda operative in Yemen, enabling the CIA to use one of its other more recent tools, the armed drone.
Just about everyone CNN has spoken with within the intelligence community touts the value of the drone missile strikes. The program began in the Bush administration to target al Qaeda leaders in the tribal regions of Pakistan and has expanded extensively under President Obama. Terrorism experts including CNN's Peter Bergen agree the program has been extremely effective.
"The drone strikes are not just important in terms of eliminating the leadership of al Qaeda," Bergen said. "They are also important in terms of preventing people from training in the tribal region and making that very difficult because you are always looking over your shoulder for a drone attack."
Now drone strikes are being used far more extensively in Yemen, particularly in southern areas of the country where al Qaeda forces have taken control.
Setting aside the debate over whether the attacks represent extrajudicial killing, Zegart said opportunities to learn about al Qaeda's strategies are lost when the military simply kills terrorists rather than take them captive.
"That's a challenge," she said, "finding the right balance of using these drones and actually harvesting intelligence from people who are caught."
Cooperation and coordination between the intelligence community and the military has become a critical component of the counterterrorism campaign. While he was CIA director, Hayden said, the intelligence community worked closely with Gen. Stanley McChrystal, then commander of U.S. and coalition forces in Afghanistan.
"All things Stan McChrystal did - for example, the night raids, the sensitive site exploitation and the follow-on raids within hours and so on - that was based on intimate teamwork between JSOC and the American intelligence community."
The crown jewel of that type of cooperation was the successful Navy SEALs raid last year on the bin Laden compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, which lead to the death of the al Qaeda founder.
But Zegart maintains that operation was the "poster child" for the influence of a greatly enhanced analytic community.
"The real breakthrough there was thinking through a different lens," she said. "It's not how can we find bin Laden. It's what are the threads that could lead us to him. So you start to think about who are the couriers. That's then the critical piece in putting information together to track him down ultimately. We tend to focus on the operational success of the mission, but this was an analytical success first."
And those analysts came from a wide range of agencies within the intelligence community.
Inside the CIA command center the day of the bin Laden raid, it wasn't just Director Leon Panetta and his support staff anxiously monitoring developments during the operation. Senior officials from the Defense Department, the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, and others were in the room. All played a unique role in what was a community-wide effort.
NGA Director Tish Long, whose agency analyzes imagery and who was in the ops center that day, said, "We were working very closely with NSA and CIA ,with the SIGINT and the HUMINT, our GEOINT - (it) truly was an integrated operation to understand what was happening at that Abbottabad complex."
U.S. officials and experts consistently point to the creation of the National Counterterrorism Center as a success story in the effort to remove the roadblocks within the intelligence community that inhibited the sharing of information. Hayden said the establishment of NCTC has led to deeper integration and cooperation among the 16 members of the intelligence community. That help NCTC analysts run down leads and connect the dots.
But the center faces hurdles. One of the reforms implemented at NCTC, after a failed attempt to blow up a Northwest Airlines commercial flight to Detroit on Christmas Day 2009, was to create pursuit teams to follow up on leads. The center was criticized at the time for not putting together a variety of clues that might have prevented suspect Umar Farouk AbdulMutallab from getting on the plane. People with specialized expertise are now brought in to analyze the data.
One of the pre-9/11 weaknesses the U.S. intelligence community has tried to address is increasing its pool of officers who are native speakers and have lived in cultures around the world. Although the numbers are significantly up, it's no match for what a foreign intelligence partner brings to the table.
"A partner brings focus, a partner brings linguistic agility, a partner brings cultural agility, which is very hard for us to come by," Hayden said.
But in the dangerous, unpredictable spy world, relying on a foreign partner can be risky. That was nowhere more evident than when a group of CIA officers planned a meeting with a trusted asset of the Jordanian intelligence service. The asset was, in fact, a double agent who came to the 2009 meeting in Khost, Afghanistan, wearing a suicide bomb vest that he detonated, killing seven CIA employees.
There could also be a downside to focusing almost exclusively on terrorism issues with some foreign partners. A former U.S. intelligence officer wondered if it comes at the expense of other issues.
"Would we have known more about the coming Arab awakening if our relationship with the Egyptian intelligence service had not been so much defined by our (counterterrorism) problem?" the official asked.
And even with the apparent success of the recent joint effort to stop the potential airline bombing, the one thing the intelligence community did not anticipate was that details of the operation would leak to the press.
The revelation might have al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula scrambling to find other infiltrators, and administration and congressional officials maintain this will make it more difficult to infiltrate AQAP. That would be a problem.
As Zegart put it, "There is no substitute for that human intelligence on the ground."
@natlsecuritycnn on Twitter
I'm gonna bomb this website with my pickle in my nose
While the Bushies invaded, the O administation relies on intel gathering and swift silent drone strikes to take out our sworn enemy members.
Which sounds like the best plan of attack to you?
You needed the first one to establish the infrastructure for the second. They're not distinctly separate plans but the execution of a good strategy.
Intelligence infastructure is way different than military. The invasions didn't play a huge part in intel gathering except maybe scaring a few countries into helping the US. You need a base of support and a common goal (people tend to not like people who invade their countries, whether or not it is justifyable or not).
But I guess since Al-Qeada started blowing up more Muslims than the US after the invasion that might have helped intelligence gathering.
Keep in mind that Clinton gutted the intelligence agencies during his two terms. So the "Bushies" pretty much had some satellites and a janitor in Manila to work with.
One only has to travel to other countries around the world and be welcomed with smiles and good tidings. Then, one re-enters the USA and is treated with suspicion, contempt and rudeness.
The questioning technique itself is psychological warfare on innocent travellers. It is meant to scare and intimidate. Is it really anyone's business but my own where I went, what I did, and who I met? Whatever happened to privacy and dignity in this country? The freedom to travel includes the freedom to privacy, not the exclusion of it.
I welcome all immigrants to America, however it is very ironic that more often than not, the more rude immigration officials are not American born. They seem to not have the advantage of growing up in America where democratic ideals, including the presumption of innocence and due process were instilled and continue to be held sacred.
I am not a nativist in the least. Passports are an invention of the 20th century and birth certificates should be meaningless in terms of the freedom to travel and re-locate.
What irks me is that the USA security apparatus mirrors border controls reminiscent of Stalin and Hitler.
This is shameful as officials assume guilt rather than innocence. 99.999999% of us are totally innocent yet the system treats us as a risk at best and a threat on darker days.
And, we allow it. Who would speak up only to be put on a list?
Speak up. The security apparatus is a public service. They serve me.
They have NO RIGHT to intimidate me.
If the security apparatus of the trenches, i.e. the immigration service, is any indication of Homeland Security, we do not live in a free society.
STOP IT! I want my country back to normal. 3000 people died. They didn't die to have this country turned into a police state. What has happened is despicable.
Well said.
I'm going to play devils advocate here:
What if that suspicion and intimidation that you speak so negatively about lead to the gathering of intelligence that saved the life of you, or a family member, or a friend, or a neighbor, or any innocent person? How would you ever know if it has or will?
Terrorism is a difficult evil to fight – it is intended to be disguised and indistinguishable from the 99.9999% you speak of. Yet, it has the capability to murder 3000 innocent people in one day. If their 'suspicion' prevents to unnecessary loss of innocent lives then it was a success. If you have nothing to hide from the intelligence community then you have nothing to fear from the suspicion.
Do you folks at CNN really think it's smart to analyse the information you get from covert operations and then allow those analysis to be made public? Why would you break down our intelligence services workings and then relay them to our potential enemies? To further write, analyse and or debate this further is only weakening our intelligence operations overseas and putting the people that run them at risk.
Do you really believe CNN is not doing exactly what they are suppose to do for the intelligence agencies. CNN is on e of the CIA's MI6, mossads, etc. main tools for controlling the sheeple.
It's okay, Jim. If you keep the hat tight enough, they can't read your thoughts.
Jim – CNN and other media are often seen as potential threats to security.
"Never ascribe to malice that which can easily be attributed to incompetence"
Aldrich Ames referred to his evil as the "scam". I hope the CIA comes down hard on scamming.
er hmm.. er, actually Ames referred to it as a "con game".
What is the point of your comment there is no difference lol
H
What I am most impressed with is the fact that the FBI never gave into the constant requests and pressure from the CIA / Cheney to get involved with illegal black sites, immoral acts and needless torture. The FBI still stands strong.
You're frickin joking right???? Bill Clinton was the one that issued PDO 32 which directed agencies under his adminsitration to extraordinarly rendition suspects to 3rd party countries for the purpose of information gathering.
Subject: BEST AIRPORT SECURITY EVER
TEL AVIV, Israel The Israelis are developing an airport security device
that eliminates the privacy concerns that come with full-body scanners.
It's an armored booth you step into that will not X-ray you, but will
detonate any explosive device you may have on your person.
Israel sees this as a win-win situation for everyone, with none of this
crap about racial profiling. It will also eliminate the costs of long and
expensive trials.
You're in the airport terminal and you hear a muffled explosion. Shortly
thereafter, an announcement: Attention to all standby passengers, El Al is
proud to announce a seat available on flight 670 to London . Shalom!
BRILLIANT.
+100
Can I vote for the immediate installation of this technology?
Although a glorious thought, too bad it isn't real. Originally started as a thought that "this should exist" and later turned into "this does exist" email forward.
Among many issues that this would potentially present (exploding pacemakers, igniting heart medicine based on nitroglycerine, etc.), it doesn't alleviate the fact that a bomb can be assembled after passing through the gate.
Who gives a kibbutz about a bunch of monkey Muslims??...
Israel comes first and foremost, and the US must do everything posible to defend her.
Arabs need to be destroyed in their holes, children, women..come on who cares ehhhhh?
Israel comes first..
You are so very stupid. You actually sound like a terrorist. In fact I wouldn't be surprised if you really are a terrorist that is trying to incite some sort of hatred towards Muslims so you can site it on some sort of Jihadist website. If your not a terrorist, then you need to grow up. If you are, then you still need to grow up.
poor palestinian crying the palestinian mantra: "woe is me , woe is me, everybody but us is the cause of our misery" while pointing at israel, the US and the guild of danish cartoonists and crying, "it's their fault" . They are responsible for the underwear bombs and shoe bombs and bus bombs and cafe bombs and rocket launches, its not us, its them"!!
smells like racismmm!!
If you're a problem solver, why are you so problematic?
use your heart not your useless brain stupid 🙂
Hear Hear!! Yah CIA, Perhaps the truth may some day come out. Who still really thinks 9/11 was caused exclusively by terrorists? Do your research, get informed! Come on, there are more (unanswered) questions about "Our Government" than science has about the universe. And of course the Fear that has been sown makes for great (read – $$$$) headlines.
I think this whole thing is an alien conspiracy initiated by extra terrestrials.
What a bad joke your theories are. Only a dumb $$$$ would even think of something like that.
Love the comments on this thread. It just shows that we know this is all a big fraud and that the "intelligence community" is ushering the New World Order to bring about some occult dream of the "pre-apocalyptic unity of mankind" etc., etc. You are sick, sick puppies, we are onto you, we're not buying a word of this Pravda-like propaganda anymore. The only question is when are you going to crash our currency and bring in martial law? Saint Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle!
It's so simple, isnt it?
Oh c'mon. Spare us the yet another conspiracy theory. Your tin foil hat needs some dusting. The story wasn't that good.
gubmint troll.
ridicule is part of your losing game. the "conspiracy theorists" are right. you are headed for Hell wide open freak.
Robert Hanssen, a traitor, did alot of damage to our security and cost alot of lives. I hope we have learned alot from that disaster.
He defend our freedom. To paraphase Ben Franklin, "Those who would give up liberty for security deserve neither"
Wow, US intelligence is making the same points that my college professor, who was a CIA asset in Tehran under the Shah, was making in 1984. If US intelligence can be a mere 28 years out of date, instead of a full 60 years out of date. Who knows what wonders they will accomplish. Whittaker Chambers, sell your pumpkin patch!
al-CIA-da now has "invisible bombs". LMAO
The FBI was behind all the domestic terrorist threats.
Now the CIA is using the same ruse.
google, Paul Craig Roberts.
Bravo, love that you're awake!
I liked the story about secret service and prostitutes better.
The idea that CNN could write any article even remotely related to "intelligence" is hilarious.
CNN News
White Hispanic
Adult child
Pick your favorite oxymoron....
Upgraded underwear bombing devices should not be released because their non-metal parts and explosives are undetectable by airport security scanners and would not be picked up without prior intelligence.
Running double agents inside terrorist cells is the most tricky and hazardous of undercover operations because no one ever has the whole picture. It is even possible that the advanced underwear bomb technology was planted by US or Saudi intelligence and given to the mole to enforce his credibility with the al Qaeda cell in Yemen. Compromising his penetration has therefore caused inestimable damage to the counter-terror efforts against al Qaeda – hence the dismay in US intelligence agencies on both these counts.
The Saudi intelligence role in exposing the new al Qaeda bombing device and liquidating one of the terrorists responsible for the 2010 USS Cole attack was underplayed.
If you ever want to get dumbed down and depressed, read the comments section from CNN or Yahoo News.
...Isn't that the truth. The liberal left fights with sarcasm against the very country and government that gives them their freedom!
It's almost laughable, except that it isn't funny. I'm genuinely saddened by the ignorance that is so terribly rampant on these boards.
As an American-born citizen, what I am more concerned about than how the intelligence community uses it's assets to spy on and infiltrate hostile terrorist groups, is how they spy on and infiltrate peaceful, innocent American citizens' and their lives. The general public has no idea about how our government is using their assets to torture, terrorize, spy on, harass, dehumanize and generally make life miserable for it's own citizens. I'm talking about ripping families apart, making veiled or even blatant threats of violence towards American citizens who have NOTHING WHATSOEVER to do with terrorism! The U.S. government and it's intelligence services, and all the people who work for them should be thoroughly ashamed of themselves for putting their own countrymen and women in these predicaments. DOWN WITH THE USA!
You sir, are in need of a treason indictment!
Well, I'm with you halfway. God Bless the United States of America, but her enemies are within.
coo coo !
Drone 'em to the stone age.....
Russia and China are spying more than during the Cold War. Give the CIA more resources.
If you ask other nations what they think of the CIA words like terrorism come up only it`s against the CIA !
The CIA have been lying to Americans long enough along with the rest of the system "WE the People " pay for .
Russia and China are spying as much as during the Cold War. Give the CIA more resources.
True but I think most Americans are worried about people who want to attack us now rather than countries that might hypothetically want to attack us some day.
The war on terrorism is a bunch of BS. Just waiting for the next false flag operation
so we can start another war.
My reaction immediately upon hearing about the Bin Laden papers was that these would be used to gin up more false flag operations. The CIA has been playing its game for to long to have any credibility any longer. Even if terrorists are real the news is so manipulated that its untrustworthy to the point of being propaganda.
I'm surprised they haven't invaded Mexico yet, maybe there's not enough oil there.
Im still waiting for the oil from Iraq! Where is it?
Interesting how when there is a scandal involving U.S. intelligence, there's a positive story a week or two later.
Lets put it straight. Saudi is pro american since OBL wanted to destroy the saudi royal family. To keep their dictatorship they need to support the CIA.
It's just a matter of times before things turn the other way around.
"...foreign intelligence counterparts are paying off." Until someone leaks the story of how it happened.
poop
The 'new' Bradley Manning who leaked this information and who has jeopardized not only the life of our mole but also any ability to further infiltrate and stop attacks on the USA should be tried for treason and executed. Perhaps then the deluge of secret information to the media will stop.
There is no one being put at risk because the plot is fake this "leak" doesnt exist since this story was released as propaganda to support the CIA! There is nothing real about this story!
Manning only gave past infos and not future military moves. Get over it.
When it comes to the US mainstream media, the entire corporate hairball has been largely responsible for perpetuating terrorism in the absence of the genuine article. One of the ways they do this is by broadcasting threats – by doing this, the media are playing into the hands of those who truly hate our freedoms – who reside not in caves in Afghanistan, or some mythical al Qaeda training camp in Pakistan – but rather in the boardrooms of certain corporations in the military-industrial-media complex, the Pentagon, the intelligence services and in the federal government itself.
It doesn't require bombs and bullets to terrorize a nation... all it takes is a media that promotes the threat of such, whether real or imaginary. In the wake of 9/11, that infamous false flag operation designed to shock and awe the public into allowing the administration of the day to do whatever it wanted, the public remain edgy, confused, and very easily led by the nose. In its exploitation of fear-for-profit, the media have become increasingly militarized. Take CNN's highly visible "Security Clearance" section as an example... with subsections headlines entitled, for example "Living With Terror". Well, the terror is largely a creation of the media themselves, marketing to a captive audience that has been weaned on fear.
The public, on hearing news of "impending attacks", are rendered powerless. What can anyone do about hearing this kind of single-sourced propaganda every day on the radio and TV, as promoted by the likes of Fox News, CNN at al? Nothing. All we can do is ether switch off the flow of verbal diarrhea and get on with our lives, or we can wallow in fear. Unfortunately, the US public are very media dependent – the television, or should that be "view screen", plays a large part in the family life.
One of the worst offenders in promoting this "second hand terrorism" is CNN's Peter Bergen. This so-called "expert" has had a long record of grossly exaggerating the power and reach of the mythical group al Qaeda. Bergen's method is actively promoting, in the individual and collective psyche, the effectiveness of the group.
Bergen is just one of a large number of visible commentators and myth makers within the corporate media who are heavily invested in terrifying the living daylights of out the (most gullible) American people... and often via absurd allegations. A prime example was Iraq's alleged ability to attack American cities using unmanned drones loaded with chemical and biological weapons. Whether Bergen himself bought into that particular conspiracy theory is not on the record, but most of his media associates eagerly swallowed the NeoCon Koolaid, amongst many equally wild, baseless and far fetched Arab and Muslim conspiracy theories. Bergen also bought the highly unlikely story about the "death of Osama bin Laden" – a tall tale with no body, no pictures or video, and sailors on board the ship from which OBL's body was allegedly dumped (the USS Carl Vinson) said that there was never any funeral or "burial at sea" ceremony.
For Peter Bergen to claim now that "al Qaeda" is irrelevant confirms something that anyone (including Bergen himself) with an intelligent quotient higher than room temperature has known for years: "al Qaeda" (meaning the Base in Arabic) is a Western created entity, and has been a convenient way of creating a new perpetual enemy .... the entire Muslim world – to replace the defunct Soviet Bloc. When the 45 year "Cold War" finished, a new "endless war" had to be created. Enter the "war on terrorism". Since the US economy is based upon perpetual war, it has been imperative to promote something that scares the public enough to "justify" the astronomical expenditure on "defense/security" related matters.
That was quite possible the dumbest thing I have ever heard. At no point did you present a coherent, use evidence, or even state anything that sounded like an argument. We are all now litterally dumber having heard that. You are awarded no points and may god have mercy on your soul.
i just want to know what the next president's final solutions to the radical muslim question will be...
none of us will be safe until all of them are gone...
I am sorry you utterly fail to understand what is going on. "Bona Fide" (excuse the expression) terrorist organizations, for effect, rely on *regularity" of attacks and incidents to scare – terrorize – the public. If you lived in the UK between 1970 – 1995, you would appreciate that – IRA bombs were going off on a daily basis. But despite the civilian carnage, the rights of British people were not methodically stripped away, bit by bit, as is what is happening in the US right now, on account of the very occasional "attempted attack" which, bizarrely, have all been patsies or people entrapped by the FBI, or closely associated with FBI informants.
It is people like, you, with closed minds, who believe in wild conspiracy theories involving the mythical "al qaeda" group – a Western intelligence creation – that is pulling this nation from a democratic republic, to a maximum security state, utterly paranoid, and scared of our own shadows. Shame on you.
By the way, for your information: The Chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee is a very shady character – Rep. Peter King (R – NY). He was, for two and a half decades, one of the principle funders and enablers of the murderous terrorist gang the Provisional Irish Republican Army – see above -via the Manhattan based group NORAID. His efforts, including clanderstinely procuring guns, explosives and other paramilitary material from the Libyan Government under Col. Gadhafi for use by the IRA in their terror campaign in the UK and Western Europe, were largely responsible for the deaths of over 1000 civilians and police, and injuring/maiming of 10s of thousands more.
That is how bogus the US "war on terror is"... when a leader in this so-called war on terrorism – has a long and bloody history of terrorism.
Read some history before commenting and making an idiot of yourself.
nice Billy Madison reference! sounds like that was a bit over nik's head there james.
I agree with Nik.
lol I knew I heard that line somewhere...I just couldn't put my finger on it at first
the bigger the lie the more likly people will believe it.
I couldn't have said it any better.
Well-said. Al Qaeda is the new Emmanuel Goldstein.
Completely agree, the media actually benefits outside countries more than the United States it self.
Nik: ignore the agitprop, apparatchik spend their days denying the reality of our country and apparently make a nice salary from they Ministry of Truth for correcting the truth and replacing it with lies. Winston Smith works down the hall from these fools and reluctantly joins in their 5 minute hate (of Muslims) every day! How many of the one liner geniuses are ideologues and refuse to see the facts – that's because they are paid to ignore the facts and try to get us to ignore the facts as well.
Do it, Nik. Just post your credentials. Instead of taking all of the web-based conspiracy supposition and morphing it into a stimulating post (nice writing, by the way), just state your background and credentials. While no government has more superbly manipulated the free press like our own for the express purpose of misinformation, you'll make a more compelling case (if there is one to be made) by laying in a foundation of truth: about yourself, your sources, and that which expertly qualifies you to comment.
not only coo coo but way to long! better luck next time.
Not even CIA agents know how the CIA really works. Orders, are orders.
There has been counter intelligence for over the last 100 years. This is not new. Old news. Drop it. It won't go anywhere.
It is a wonder that any of our counterintelligence works after the news media gets through announcing all the past and future plans of their operations. During the Nam war, they would have been arrested., or at least accused of near treason. What is the purpose of having so called "security" when the media is operating constantly to get a news break. Sometimes it seems their intelligence is better than the military. As former intelligence members are sworn to secrecy for the remainder of their lives, just to see their former operations spilled all over the internet. Free Press is great up to a point, but when it endangers the lives of our military personnel it goes a step too far.
It's the propaganda machine, all over again. "Fighting the face of evil"
There has always been cooperation and coordination with the services on issues with a common position. There may be more of it today possibly, but nothing has really changed except that now there may be more involvement from Middle Eastern services. Due to rules and regulations governing Western nations some operations cannot legally be executed, so counterparts from other nations are used where their rules and regulations are not as restrictive. This builds a relationship to work together and for favors to be exchanged.
A bigger story for/by CNN would be to plant a mole to take out these Al queda idiots rather than take a photo of them in order to spice upしtheir selfーserving articles.
When a terrorist organization uses the cover of a free press to commit espionage that organization should be treated like the enemies they are and disposed of!
Hmm...when some of us try to comment, we get "publicar" instead of comment or publish. Really, CNN? Isn't this supposed to be the english version???
Why are we so worried about foreign terrorists, when we have terrorists right here in the US? There is the threat of Gang Violence daily. Are Gangs not terrorists too? Look into the US Prison system, and you will see the development of a potential urban race war. I think that the U.S. should focus on in-home security, before going into the World's Affairs.
You got that right.
They would never make stuff up to justify the trillions of dollars being spent by their departments.
Stay in bed you're not awake yet.
U.S. intelligence should be kept in secret, locked and sealed shut.
Normally, it as been. I've never seen a president use it for an election year. Pretty self serving I think.
Once again The CIA and FBI stop another terror attack, So what exactly is Home Land Security for anyways?
Don't you know? Homeland Security was created to provide thousands of "jobs" to Democratic Party supporters.
It appears you're right, but that would make it Bush's fault 😛 He started it. I don't think he knew it would be so corrupted so quick.
From what I understood it was more politics than how different the CIA operates 11 years ago. I remember Clinton saying in an interview on Fox News with Chris Wallace that they knew something was up and Bill Clinton did what he could despite having his hands tied behind his back due to politics in trying to find Osama Bin Laden.
Clinton tied his own hands. He is the one who refused to allow our intelligence agencies to work together on terrorism. It was not till after 9/11 that the walls were torn down and the agencies had to build bridges between them so they could share what they know. In Clinton's eyes, terrorism was a police matter and it was to dangerous to allow the intelligence agencies to share amongst themselves what they knew. He thought it would protect civil liberites, but it gave the terrorists to large an advantage.
leaking information to the press..yes find out how it happened...Maybe they could investigate how Washington DC insiders, and Pentagon insiders, and others leak information to the press too... But do many people really think the bad guys, did not figured all this out anyway, after the bomber took off with the bomb, and did not follow through on the attack? These people are not idiots...
There is nothing that the CIA can do to make up for their destructive behavior in Latin America, mainly guatemala. They will also never be forgiven for arranging the assassination of JFK. The public should bear in mind that, no matter what they do, they're still the CIA and just as evil and untrustworthy as ever.
The assassination of JFK. LOL. Yes, @Rabbi Ashmedai Ben Hashatan, go watch some more movies. LOLOLOL.
google "shaking you cannot handle" to see something awesome!!!!
U.S. Intelligence is an oxymoron
Even when it saves lives? Get real and stop quoting tired cliché's.
This story is called Sowing Confusion in the enemy.How many of these guys are now looking at each other and wondering?
i love how the CIA has spun the revelation that a foiled terror plot turned out to be all CIA agents from: OMG the terrorists are really all CIA agents to: the CIA has deeply infiltrated al qaeda and spoiled their plans. folks al qaeda has been 100% CIA since the 80's. wake up to reality. bin laden was CIA, saddam was CIA. this isn't conspiracy theory, those are stone cold facts.
Where do nut cases like you come up with this stuff?
LOL. The movies? Crazy websites? Some empty (and not very bright people) just need conspiracy theories to get through the day.
How do I post? All I see is "Publicar"
That's not a word in English. Isn't this supposed to be the English version of the website?
@hrpufnstuf, I saw that too, but Publicar means publish so I just clicked on it.
troll.
You're a nut, Next..............
Journalists and their editors need to know when to shut up and stop acting in their own interests instead of the USA
Amen to that! Sad that there are those in the media willing to sacrifice national security in order to promote themselves with the big "scoop."
Wow, the CIA "caught" a CIA asset/agent. Kinda like gov't agents escorting the original underwear bomber through security without a passport so he could set off the defective guanch-bomb they gave him. Anyway folks, that's why you need naked body scanners and TSA prevs and pedos groping your wife and putting their hands down your childrens' pants. Now TSA is hittin' the streets. Yup, they're taking their show on the road. Don't secure the border though, that'd be racist or something. Think about it, who is terrorizing who? Wake up people.
Get in your underpants any way they can Secret Service USA.
I wish my nation would stop lying so severely in the face of the International community that they have deeply and horrifically embarrassed me by concealing evidence to show that my family was substantially harmed, financially injured, and some murdered by persons connected to my ex-husband, the Southern Baptist Convention and the FBI. There is no way since members of the military were involved that the CIA did not know.
I am primarily of English descent. British descent as in England – the English – England.
That influence along with French influence is how I was raised.
But – in two family lines – the Gooches and the Bragdons go directly to Solomon. These two lines follow kings of Jerusalem carrying down the names of Solomon, David, and Jesse through to my great-grandfather.
Evidently New England was unable to accept that during WWII and hid this information from me, my brother and my sister.
That did not stop the local community from discriminating against my family, however, as my mother was blocked out of every opportunity in this life with her brilliant mind in figures and photographic memory which was passed onto me and my sons.
I excelled in college and law school. I've been blocked out of the latter because of that. I am a female after all. But none of this removes the fact that most of my family's lines are shared with both Diana Spencer and Charles of England.
I am sorry that my fellow Americans do not like that.
I am sorry that you lie and tell other nations that there is a real terrorist threat against the US.
All I have seen is terror against my family.
My mother was murdered and my grandfather starved to death by Americans.
I am sorry you so very much hate my family around the world no matter where they are.
But, truly we did nothing to deserve this hate.
I have done nothing but focus on my education and my sons can attest to that.
I completed my lifelong goal of earning two degrees and still trying to find a way to complete my law degree.
If you would be so kind as to let me do that without continuously disrupting my life and reporting fake news reports like this one, I would be especially appreciative.
I am truly fed up with the lies.
No foreign terrorist has harmed me.
Only the local police sharing my private and deeply personal information – treading on my civil rights and inflicting against my family the very thing that they claimed against England so very many years ago.
How dare you do the same crime and expect me to remain a faiithful American, proud of my nation.
I am horrifically embarrassed by the lot of you and rightly so.
You've punished me for my ancestors in the 1500's and forward that had nothing to do with me.
Shame on you, CIA, FBI, local law enforcement and shame on you, Mr. Obama.
Truly you have a problem and it is your problem.
Now, go about your work and way and do leave me to mine without threatening my family again.
This is intended for international eyes as my safety is compromised every day by the aforementioned while my courageous son, a cousin to both William and Harry serves this nation valiantly with the United States Army National Guard. How dare they.
I would like some of the stuff your smoking or huffing.
Paranoid Schizophrenia is a scary thing.
Wow. Chill, lady. Perhaps you could get your story picked up by a Hollywood writing team. Get even by getting rich!
Ah yes, Just who did you say you were?
Godet
LOL – Gooches.
Um.....wow. This, by far, is the best fiction I have ever read. LOL. Awesome. I would also like whatever it is you are smoking.
Oy.
nibiro
Some things are better kept a secret. I'm really surprised at the amount of detail that has been released on this.
Amen!
yep．ようthink that cnn would learn keep Its big yap shut. As in the old WWII phrase，Loose lips sink ships. These young reporting agencies just dont get it.
story title should be：American news agency (CNN) exposes US spy methods: more American obituaries to follow....
The Muslim Brotherhood is going into the White house and working in Homeland security. al Qaeda and other terror groups came out of the Muslim Brotherhood, so until we get them out of our government, we are vulnerable. Watch Rumors of War part 3, it will blow your mind.
Obama a mole！
New boss, same as the old boss. The games politicians play are sad. If you had an endless supply of taxpayer cash, what would you do??? Obama is nothing more than an advertisement on TV. You see one thing & get another. I never voted for the man because I saw through the vote chaser's rhetoric. Question is...will voter's make the same mistake twice? I pray they won't.
So they could stop all of these recent "plots", but on 9/11, nobody came to work that day.......
BD
Maybe you should try actually reading the article before commenting.
"American and foreign intelligence partners working hand in hand to rid the world of the scourge of terror. You didn't see much of that 10 years ago, but it's exactly what happened recently."
"The ability to penetrate a terrorist organization is an incredibly difficult task that we were poorly positioned to do in the 1990s and even a few years after 9/11," said Amy Zegart..."
You can say it now..."Never mind!"
GlueckAuf
Grow a brain you dumb phuk
Kids. How soon they forget......
BD
It sounds to me that this is a situation where something began under Bush was continued and enhanced under Obama. Why do we have such difficulty in giving credit to both presidents? We all claim that people whose political opinion is the opposite of ours are to blame for the divisiveness in our nation. But we don't seem to be able to ever say "Hurrah for All of Us". Here's a perfect situation where our government is working the way it should. Let's celebrate that! Just once, let's celebrate success!
I do agree that Obama has done better in some aspects of foreign policy than I had ever expected. I am glad he continued many of the policies started by Bush. I still hope for another president in the fall however. Score one for the USA.
You know MY CIA agents are similar to GHOSTS! you can't see or here them. We're at that level from now on.
Thank god Richard Cheney had the stones to implement waterboarding. Which allowed us to hunt down OBL and take him out. And have Obama called in from the golf course for his photo op in the control room. And have Obama go to Afghanistan a year later for his end-zone dance.
I totally agree. I am so thankful Bush/Cheney were in there during 9/11. I don't think our current administration would have had a clue what to do. At lease he hasn't screwed it up as bad as I thought he would. Let's thank him for trying his best and let him know it is time to go in the fall.
Over sight committee members going on Sunday morning political talks shows,claiming the other side is giving out information that should be secret,in order to play political football.How hypocritical is that B.S.
The intelligence community is recording this and every online response for a behavior pattern spreadsheet. Not for any immediate threat, but for a calling in the future years to do something. Counter intelligence and pro-active intelligence are both to promote a response.
Maybe everyone just lost sight of the ball and all the lessons learned from using human intelligence over thousands of years of human history?
security-what does that mean? this is not front page news.keep info out of the front page please.i am sure someone got
killed because of this stupidity.grow up.there are people that will kill because of this.
Knowledge is power, be prepared, be aware!
God has put in each being in the universe a connection to him. It is your own INNER GUIDANCE SYSTEM, your own INNER KNOWLEDGE.Instinct and Intuition are but the surface of your own knowledge.Your direct connection to God.The question is how do you unlock it.
There is a New Message for humanity. It speaks of Great Waves of Change, it speaks about Alien Intervention, it speaks of the future and saving humanity and it says it will all happen within the next 20 years. It is within the individual, within their own Inner Knowledge. It is for this time the message has come to show humanity how to unlock their own Inner Knowledge, to assist in saving humanity. To read more go here:
[lhttp:// newmessage.org]
UNITED WE STAND, DIVIDED WE FALL!
Be prepared, it is vast, it encompasses all of humanity's plights, it is profound, It will resonate within, for your own Inner Knowledge will tell you this
http://newmessage.org
United we stand? If your referring to us US citizens United with the US Governent than that will never happen until the Government gives us our freedom back and quit putting more restrictions on us. One day I do believe there will be an uprising against the Government. Us citizens are tired of the BS the Government is putting us through and all the taxes they keep adding on us. Every super power eventually falls and the US government will not be forever. You are right about one thing you said. "Divided we fall" and thats exactly whats happening in the States.
Micky, looked at your website. Didn't know God was so – bald.
tell that to vp biden
It exposes false flag attacks that we've been doing for years.
Seriously? There is nothing in this article to suggest that. You certainly have some wild fantasies.
I would keep an eye on India as the new epicenter of terrorism.
Really? India? What do we fear–Irony instead of politeness from the call centers located there? Bad recipes for Vindaloo? India is one of the stablest and most reasonable countries in the world outside of the UK.
My gosh, come on americans stop that, soon you will become so paranoid that you will start to think there is a terrorist under your bed and you will bulldoze your house down thinking you will get that terrorist out and you will lose you house for no reason.
now everybody knows what were doing.......
just a common sense question...why do these countries/people hate the u.s? is it because it's power? is it because what it stand for? so many possible reasons...personally i think the most obvious ones are the cultural differences and how the u.s. would like the world to live like the u.s.
we all agree that comparing to other nations, u.s. is a fairly younger nation...regardless of that u.s. thinks their life philosophy and value is better than everybody's. for example: in middle east they want their woman to cover their body, in u.s. they allow girls to dance naked in a strip joints. yet muslim woman are still covering them selves even if they live in u.s.
i'm not saying u.s. is wrong on this or right on that because u.s. has so many good things going for u.s. from individual freedom to choosing your leaders to... and it doesn't mean all other nations culture and policies are right or wrong, it's merely a perspective of each respected nation. I'm from Africa, what is right and wrong back home is sometimes 180% of what is right and wrong in u.s.
never the less, it's seems we're heading to a different world these days with china becoming more powerful than any one had anticipated. as a president of my country was quoted saying, we like u.s. but we have seen that their main priority is to take our resources, at least china give back by building roads, bridges, schools and hospitals...
my two cents: what u.s. was will never be because of one simple reason: u.s. is all about u.s. regardless of what country u.s is focused on – that might have worked and probably did 50 years ago by dealing with corrupt government officials all over the world, with today's knowledge, information transparency and technology, all countries around the world are looking for other partners in all aspects of their countries issues... and china is filling the void. china is becoming the new u.s. very quickly and u.s. the old u.k. and the main reasons why all these nations are willing to deal with china are the affordability of their goods and their policy of staying away from someone's internal affair and not wanting to be a self appointed world police. bless.
time will tell how it will all turn out i guess...
People do not like the US because the US kills people and treats people as terrorists. What is there to like? The people of the US are quickly becoming the nastiest most unaware people on the Planet. Because the US cannot see itself for what it really is the grief and suffering will continue. Free? Democratic? The USA is in chains. Time to take a good look and let yourself out of prison. The only important quest in life is to learn how to live a good life and take care. PEace.
What is absolutely clear is that Obama, or someone under and at his direction, leaked the details of the operation to the press, this in a pushback move against Rep. King's assertion that Obama lied when he told us there was no confirmed threat on the OBL anniversary. General Clapper is going to do an internal investigation of the CIA to see if anyone there leaked it, but that's just a COA move. CIA briefed Obama on the mole's existence and the bomb. The one person with something to gain is the same person Clapper will not be investigating.
Reference the picture and caption: "Yemeni militants, suspected of being members of Al-Qaeda, patrol on their pickups in the restive southern city of Zinjibar" Now let's see: 1) a whole bunch of people in front of the militants who are certainly cohorts, 2) a tanker truck – (about 1/4 full of gasoline is best), 3) Now where is that darn drone.
it is being built in China, russia, Iran and north korea, Venezueal and Bolivia, maybe.
Spot on brother. And some of these provinces have their own AQPD police depts.? How is that possible?
This is almost believable except where is the "Bradley Manning" this time? How come the person who put this "infiltrator" at risk is not being sought a and charged?..very fishy!!! Sudden change of modus operand I?
Because he isn't an American citizen. That's why. We don't have any decision making power over him.
Oh yes he is an american.
"American and foreign intelligence partners working hand in hand to rid the world of the scourge of terror. You didn't see much of that 10 years ago, but it's exactly what happened recently."
Ten years ago you didn't have trusted government employees or confidants running their mouths and telling the world about top secret operations costing millions of dollars where hundreds of people have put their lives on the line! Disgraceful! You should all get your Wikileaks memership card in the mail and attend all the funerals of the operatives you've exposed!
In the 60's and 70's , CIA & DIA exposed each others operations,agents,& safe houses in order to keep control of given areas. Nicaragua, Turkey,& Indonesia all come to mind. We've come a long way since then. No, I don't support Wikileaks type activities , but that's not journalism , and it wasn't done by officials who want the world to know we're getting BETTER at this job.
The story,wordy as it may be,points to a move in the right direction. In past times the "community" was compartmentalized...parochial....and that led to constant breakdowns and failures. In the 60's there was a self-destructive "Civil War" between CIA & DIA. Lack of communication and jealousy were major contributors to 9-11. Cooperation among the "players" is beginning to show results unimagined 2 decades back.
"The Saudis infiltrate an al Qaeda terrorist group in Yemen with their own mole, and the CIA and others are brought into the mix to help run an operation that eventually foils a possible bomb attack against an airliner destined for America."
One nation's intelligence organisation infiltrate a group who is considered a common enemy of several, and a plot is discovered then suppressed or eliminated.
The author presumes this is 'new' and has never occurred at any previous time in US history or in world history. After all this is not the 21st century. Or is it?
The author presumes the 'Intelligence community' is another american invention.
How presumptuous.
The author's penchant for conspiracy and the fantastic is laughable .
Yes I am mocking.
The authors abilities are better engaged writing amusing children's stories.
"Publicar?" How about putting everything in this website in English!
Voted the best question of they year! That Publicar is an insult to our intelligence.
of "they" year? Learn some English, before commenting.
Yeah..."Publicar" is the Classic Latin infinitive for "publish". I think that CNN may be trying to get smarter people to post. Maybe, if you don't know Latin (I studied for 8 years in Catholic school), maybe you should find another "website".
To heck with gaining additional intelligence from capturing them. I like killing them.
You like killing them. Intelligent people like getting them alive. This helps to get to others and the chain goes on. If you kill, you kill the links as well and you have to start all over again. I think you should just keep reading and posting, stay away from intelligence work. You don't understand it, it is too complicated for you.
to much info ...now everybody knows......
Whatever it is...it's GREAT! Our avowed enemies around the world are ruthless and cunning and we need to make sure the ballfield is half-way level. Throw 'em a red herring and bogus half-truths for press purposes...that's OK. Just be sure we keep our real agenda and techniques out of the public's uninformed hands so the insiders can do their job as they always have. Not to say we're without guile, but it's our very future that's at stake here; spilling our guts isn't productive except for headlines and storytelling.
Lead sentence "airline" should be "airliner". At least read the lead sentence before you publish your story.
U.S.A is like the biggest terrorist of all.. They just want to stay ahead of everyone else.
Look at Vietnam. All over "communism", what a joke
Not to mention the "war on drugs" yet I can go to the grocery store and buy all the drugs over the counter I want.. They are fine with that as long as you buy the drugs from them.
Now U.S.A is leading the pack with terrorizing the food supplies, tons of people in the white house are invested in Monsanto and part owners... Bush senior was visiting Monsanto looking at the GMO foods saying he will deal with the politics to get it released to the world... Even without testing as we know Bush senior is no scientist.
Not to mention lobbying is legal so Corporations and millionaires/billionaires have control of the elections and everything else. I bet the free masons even have some lobbying going on since they are known to give each other money for sure anyway.
Wow.. you are really delusional and stupid...
FM, watch 'The Corporation' before you make judgment calls on what FU. Corporations OWN our government. It's no longer government of the people.
J, please save your drama and hyperbole for the clueless HS students...
Just like how the old homeland security chief owned the business which provided us with the naked body scanners right after the first underwear bomber, which of course the state dept. james kennedy said they put him on the plane without a passport or visa, just like alwaki was meeting at the pentagon, the 7/7 bombing mastermind was a double agent, just like mike springman head of the visa dept in saudi said the 9/11 hijackers and many others were given waivers for visas because they were double agents..... shall I go on...... every plot broken up here since 9/11 have been mentally challenged people given the plan, materials, and money for their supposed plot by the fbi..... this is so simple.
How about drone attacks on the druggy's in Mexico?
You're not too far from the truth.
so the new reality is that the CIA creates FALSE FLAG terrorists attacks due to the lack of REAL terrorist attacks ? Im so sick of this and people do nothing about it despite it being so obvious!
Baseless comment.
Wow, you learned a term but don't know anything about it... good job making yourself look stupid.
The Mukden incident in 1931 involved Japanese officers fabricating a pretext for annexing Manchuria by blowing up a section of railway. Six years later in 1937 they falsely claimed the kidnapping of one of their soldiers in the Marco Polo Bridge Incident as an excuse to invade China proper.
The Gleiwitz incident in 1939 involved Reinhard Heydrich fabricating evidence of a Polish attack against Germany to mobilize German public opinion for war, to establish casus belli, and to justify the war with Poland. This, along with other false flag operations in Operation Himmler, would be used to mobilize support from the German population for the start of World War II in Europe.
The Kassa attack in 1941 involved the city of Kassa, today Košice (Slovakia), which was then part of the Hungary, being bombed by three unidentified planes of apparently Soviet origin. This attack became the pretext for the government of Hungary to declare war on the Soviet Union.
The replacement of Iran's Anglo-Persian Oil Company with five American oil companies and the 1953 Iranian coup d'état in 1953 was the consequence of the U.S. and British-orchestrated false flag operation, Operation Ajax. Operation Ajax used political intrigue, propaganda, and agreements with Qashqai tribal leaders to depose the democratically elected leader of Iran, Mohammed Mosaddeq. Information regarding the CIA-sponsored coup d'etat has been largely declassified and is available in the CIA archives.
The planned, but never executed, 1962 Operation Northwoods plot by the U.S. Department of Defense for a war with Cuba involved scenarios such as fabricating the hijacking or shooting down passenger and military planes, sinking a U.S. ship in the vicinity of Cuba, burning crops, sinking a boat filled with Cuban refugees, attacks by alleged Cuban infiltrators inside the United States, and harassment of U.S. aircraft and shipping and the destruction of aerial drones by aircraft disguised as Cuban MiGs.[9] These actions would be blamed on Cuba, and would be a pretext for an invasion of Cuba and the overthrow of Fidel Castro's communist government. It was authored by the Joint Chiefs of Staff, but then rejected by President John F. Kennedy. The surprise discovery of the documents relating to Operation Northwoods was a result of the comprehensive search for records related to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy by the Assassination Records Review Board in the mid-1990s.Information about Operation Northwoods was later publicized by James Bamford.
J,
You need to stop drinking kookaid. Go back to school and learn what a false flag is, its not "fabricating evidence". Your fabricating BS is just showing your ignorance.
Yes one was called Operation Dumb $$$$, named in your honor.
I have to wonder how much of this is news and how much is because the CIA wants it out there – nothing wrong with that per se, they might have their own objectives in making sure it got out. So as far as freedom of the press etc, I would not worry about it – if they didn't want it to get out I'm reasonably sure it wouldn't be.
CIA created UFOs and Ancient Astronauts also
Ancient astronauts and UFO's have been around for thousand's of years before the USA, CIA or any modern country existed. Think again bucko!
This is incorrect, dude. Say, I came to this planet as an ancient astronaut in a UFO and thought this planet was the bomb. Been chilling in the hood ever since and the CIA had nothing to do with it. LOL
Hey dudes, I just wanted to state that I confessed being an ancient astronaut to the CIA years ago and they showed me the door. LOL. They called me a wise acre and wouldn't even give me the time of day. When I returned to this planet I advanced technology on this planet by 500 years by introducing color TV which led to all sorts of discoveries in a variant of sectors related to science. Hey, I had no idea that ancient Khem (now called Egypt) would not be the leader of the world with its ancient business partner Armenia. Who would of thought that England being a colony of Armenia would have a colony that would in turn announce this Declaration of Independence and start advancing science? In retrospect, I suppose its better off the CIA rejected my story that I was an ancient astronaut. I've heard area 51 is a concentration camp for aliens where you can't drink beer or hustle girls. Totally outrageous, dude! LOL
China plays a huge part in counter terrorism also.
Are u kidding me???? really??? how can u all miss the point that on 9/11 the only plane which took off was carying OBL faimly out of states????? How can u not know that Saudi Arab's money is in US banks and any government clinton or not clinto will never take a chance to make them enemies????? Are you all living in your small bubble forgeting how many people have been killed to take revenge of WTC????? I laugh at your ignorance and the media feeding words in your mouth.
Revenge is a dish best served cold. I'm at absolute zero.
Totally agree.
Let me give you folks a small hint of new kind of spying:
Room 641A is an interception facility operated by AT&T for the U.S. National Security Agency. It is located at 611 Folsom Street, San Francisco. AT&T collaborated with the National Security Agency (NSA) in a massive, illegal program to wiretap and data-mine Americans' communications. The secret room also included data-mining equipment called a Narus STA 6400, known to be used particularly by government intelligence agencies because of its ability to sift through large amounts of data looking for preprogrammed targets
Yes folks, they are reading all your electronic communication (email, text messages, voice mails, phone calls..etc).
You guys need to forget about foreign spies in the U.S. and focus on YOUR government spying on YOU !
man.. if they really want to waste their time....... have at me then.
thats what the jews said in germany before the nazis started rounding them up, They didn't have anything to hide.
The good news is that you can thwart the government efforts to tap in to your private communications by dropping all manner of electronic communication and by fully embracing communicating by smoke signals.
The problem is not that they do it. The problem is that now they do it openly and without consequence. The tradition of punishing those that do the dirty work has ended. So, even cowards are willing to do the dirty work. America freedom is long gone. Just go with the flow and enjoy the prosperity until the US runs out of money for social programs.
What this dude isn't stating is this is fed by fiber optic lines from beam splitters installed in fiber optic trunks carrying Internet backbone traffic and, therefore, presumably has access to a lot of Internet traffic. Why, you'd need at least 26 of them to cover the entire United States so I wouldn't worry. LOL
Its really a huge change in the pre-9/11 conditions going on during the Clinton administration. 9/11 went to plan partly because Bill Clinton did 3 things to allow it. First he refused to let the NSA put up a surveillance effort on the Saudi nationals who were mostly involved in 9/11. Clinton later said he did not want to alienate our Saudi friends if it turned out to to be wrong. But the NSA had the entire 9/11 group meeting one last time in a motel before their last dry runs and it was the last time they would be together until the day of the attack. Second, Clinton refused to acknowledge an email he got from then University of Oklahoma student, Zacarias Moussaoui. He sent a message from the 3rd floor reference computer stating that if the Republicans won the 2000 elections, his group would hijack airliners and crash them into buildings in D.C. and NYC. Clinton said he did not feel comfortable making any changes in air security because of such an obscure message. All Clinton really had to do was to enact hardened cockpit door rules like we have today and 9/11 would have been a footnote in history as the day an attempt was made. Third, Clinton refused to let the NSA or FBI have a search warrant to look into Zacarias Moussaoui's personal laptop for evidence of a pending attack. They had arrested him for INS violations but flight instructors at OU's airport said he had paid for his tuition by using multiple debit cards that later were found to be funded by accounts owned by Al Queda. After 9/11 and the passage of the Patriot Act, they obtained the search warrant after the fact and found multiple entries that laid out the 9/11 plans along with flight numbers, names of actors, targets, and possible days for the attack. Had Clinton gave permission for the warrant prior to 9/11, it is highly likely that with the email, the FBI could have convinced Clinton to enact new cockpit security rules.
By the time Bush had taken office, the sleeper cells had gone underground and nobody at the NSA or FBI were thinking of the issue anymore until the morning of 9/11.
That is hilarious, who would have thought a hillbilly could be so creative!?!
Not to mention after the first world trade center attack he had reliable intelligence on OBL position in Afghanistan but because there was a Kuwait Prince in the area at the time.....Clinton decided not to take him out...That was in the 90's. I wish more people would read the 9/11 reports.
Bush was president when 911 happened, and he is the one who said on TV that at the time his priorities were not OBL, why did he never wanted to go after OBL. simply because Bush and OBL both were partners in some oil companies.
Stop making stories up, imbecile.
Rick's capacity for fiction is remarkable
In the news ... 9-11 was an inside job. "Pull it ... pull it" was an outside directive.
It was an inside job period.
Our alliance with and military presence in Saudi Arabi was a direct instigator of the 9/11 attacks and much of today's terrorism in general. Saudi Arabi is an extreme Islamist state, far moreso than Afghanistan under the Taliban. It just has more oil. Yemen is just the latest client state that will turn on us. We will be calling it "evil" within 20 years as we go to war with it. We're idiots who love meddling for profit and don't mind killing our children and grandchildren to do so ("our" meaning the children and grandchildren of anyone but our leaders).
Excuse, but Saudi Arabia is not an "extreme Islamist" state. What does that even mean? And Afghanistan isn't an EXTREME ISLAMIST STATE either! The silly afghans that commit bombings and the taliban are uneducated. Uneducated could be an understatement even in some terms. Don't be a typical "stupid American in a bubble" and call everything and everyone who's bad an "EXTREME ISLAMIST". The afghans don't even speak or understand arabic. They don't understand the Koran, and most of them have never read it. They simply follow their leaders who have their own political or social agendas. In Islam killing is forbidden. Islam is the only religion that says "If you kill a soul, it is as if you killed the whole humanity, if you save a soul you save the human kind".
OH and BY THE WAY – New York 9/11 was a tragedy of course. But please note that what America endured on 9/11, Palestine, Afghanistan, Iraq, Chechnya endures 24/7 from Israili and US bombs, bullets and rocket launchers.
Good day.
your perspective is blinded by your racism and stupidity. Please don't post any more of your absurd opinions.
No offense to your post, but I think there is some truth to calling Saudi Arabia an extreme Islamic state. Beheadings still go on there, that can hardly be called civil...Not that different from Iran, really. The only difference is that the US has a good relationship with the extensive Royal family, we need their oil and their support for getting the oil to us. Also, Saudi has been an important partner to the US for trying to contain the AQ hotbed in Yemen. For everything that happens in Saudi we close our eyes and our ears. Just like we do with our trading partner China. We need Saudi, or we think we do. That does not make that country any less medieval, stuck in the old way and very intolerant towards other beliefs and religions. Just look at the way women are treated in Saudi, is that so different from Afghanistan?
I hate to break it to you, bub, but Saudi Arabia IS an extreme islamic state. Ever heard of Wahhabism? That's a form of fundamentalist islam, actively practiced IN Saudi Arabia. Hell, it was DEVELOPED in what is now Saudi Arabia. Before you start running your mouth off and playing that tired "ignorant American" card, get your own facts straight. These people AREN'T our friends.
Women in Saudi Arabia may not have the legal right to drive, but they can get an education, and men in Saudi Arabia don't routinely throw acid in the faces of women. Saudi girls aren't attacked on the way to school. I would rather be an ally of Saudi Arabia than an ally of Pakistan.
Drones are greatly needed in the fight against terrorism.
Absolutely. A Drone a day puts terrorists away and saves lives. We need more of them in other places too. It is, so far the best tool to contain them.
Too bad they don't tell us about how many poor women and children that is being killed by Drones just to target one or two terrorist if there's any at all.
Sure, lets keep feeding the culture of death from above, no need for a trial or witnesses, Very American, according to our values of shoot now ask later and "There's an old saying in Tennessee — I know it's in Texas, probably in Tennessee — that says, fool me once, shame on — shame on you. Fool me — you can't get fooled again."
If it walks like a duck ...... release the drone.
Yeah and you might end up killing a partridge instead.
Why this came up to light. Just let the security agencies do their job and keep everyone around the world safe. Publicizing this gives the adversery the necessary tools to plan better next time. We need to keep this a secret for the safe of all. I believe in free press but these news only teaches the potential thread to think and prepare better next time.
The advesary already knows all about this. The advesary is on the front lines getting blown up by drone missles and infiltrated by spies. This article doesn't bring to light anything the adversary doesn't already experience on a daily basis.
true, but it makes the terrorists even more paranoid.
This is the CIA propaganda. Everybody knows that they failed on 9/11 and christmas day bombing. They want to use this unsuccessful plot to boost their credibility so they are releasing bits and pieces of this information everyday for publicity so that america would think CIA has done a great job in disrupting this plot. Shame on you ! This plot was disrupted by Saudi Intelligence. STOP taking credit for what others have done.
acustly, your unfair criticism of the CIA strikes me as unpatriotic, cowardly and treasonous.
In all fairness, criticism of the government is "treasonous"? Maybe in China. Not here. Not yet.
SDguy on which planet you are from, go ahead and do your math, how many civilians died or handicapped since 911, and how many more people is turning against US now because you didn't knew when it was time to get the heck out of there. You be be dreaming, the world is even more dangerous now than it was before 911. If you think it's safer it's probably because you can't understand how the world is going or you just had an idea and you believe that for a reality.
Well they do not know about our super secret squad of highly trained attack squirrels, with computer chips implanted in their brains, making them much smarter then the average squirrels, or the squadron of flying attack cow bombers,with missiles on their teats, and bomb shoved up their...well you know where they put the bombs on a cow... or the secret attack rabbits, and turtles, and tortoises with high def cameras and GPS devices to pinpoint the enemy hideouts, and send back live video....oh wait a minute maybe I should not have mentioned that Ops...Sorry
Hahaha shame!
How can the western media forget that this came to light because saudi Arabia did not want the US to be hit this time
This is not the credit of the US intelligence.
Instead it is that of the saudis
It is the work of two countries providing joint intelligence,surveillance,and counter insurgency operations to defeat a common enemy.
This is all CIA propaganda. Taking credit for other's work. Shame on you !
Im not sure how much good this agent actually did. He got 1 bomb away from Al Qaeda and saved 1 plane. Did they arrest the people working with him? Never heard of it. Can they make another bomb? Certainly. Can they get it past TSA? Think about it.
They killed the mastermind of the Cole attack, along with other suspected al Qaeda members, and took the bomb for testing. What exactly would they need to do for you to consider it a success?
svann, and in comparison, what have YOU accomplished? I didn't think so. Who are you to critique what is or isn't successful?
Just like the media to "out" something as important as this – which does nothing but aid the enemy.
1. The information was given to the media intentionally
2. Al Qaeda knew the guy was an agent as soon as he failed to blow himself up.
So you must be anti Wiki leaks? You prefer ignorance as long as you feel safe. You trust politicians implicitly with everything they do. I can't stand people like you.
Ginger, you are one clueless broad. You would have had the Navy SEALS release their plans to kill bin Laden on the evening news the night before they attacked. Their attack would, of course, have failed, but you put satisfying your own curiosity before national security.
Not even CIA agents know how the CIA really works. Orders, will be orders among our nation for the better good in the future.
I agree with Ginger, anyhow Manning never gave info about what Intel next move would have been, all he did is gave old facts of corruptions after they were made. He only showed the world how corrupted things were done. But he never gave info about future military move.
Gotta keep an eye on them saudis or is it sardines no matter just watch them.