[Slugman]

Pakistan: U.S. blew undercover operation; Al-Qaida suspect was secretly cooperating with counterrorist sting

U.S. officials said the secret agent was the source of information that led to security alerts in New York, where police patrolled outside the New York Stock Exchange, New Jersey and Washington.

Updated: 7:18 p.m. ET Aug. 6, 2004ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - The al-Qaida suspect named by U.S. officials as the source of information that led to this week’s terrorist alerts was working undercover, Pakistani intelligence sources said Friday, putting an end to the sting operation and forcing Pakistan to hide the man in a secret location.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5626850/


Hmmm… I dunno about this one, sounds a little fishy to me, secret location…

But if the US officials did screw up, they need new jobs…

 

[TheMontashu]

we need a government who cares about america and not being politicly correct all the time which sady wont happen soon

 

[Slugman]

we need a government who cares about america and not being politicly correct all the time which sady wont happen soon

And how does that relate to the US releasing the name of a possible undercover operative (who is himself a terrorist suspect) that could have gotten us more the of terrorist leaders?

 

[N8 v2.0]

The White House felt they needed to provide some proof to their upping the Terror Alert. The Dim's and their media lap-dogs were blowing off the heightened threat as a political ploy on Bush's part. Of course the assertion was wrong and unfair and its the Dimz who want to use Terrorism for political advantage.

The White House released the double agent's name to the NY Times (no friend of the Bush Administration) as part of some background information. It was the NY Times that leaked the name. They did this so they could damage an on going Bush led operation that was successfully netting Al Queda operatives.

The libs and the media will do anything at any cost to reinstate the Dim's back in control of the nation.

All the more reason to vote Bush.

 

[Joe Pozer]

The White House released the double agent's name to the NY Times (no friend of the Bush Administration) as part of some background information. It was the NY Times that leaked the name. They did this so they could damage an on going Bush led operation that was successfully netting Al Queda operatives.

That makes absolutely no sense at all. If its a covert operation, then why would you release the name of the double agent to a media outlet? Didn't the White House leak the name of a CIA agent not too long ago? Sounds to me like someone at the White House can't keep their mouth shut.

 

[Slugman]

The White House felt they needed to provide some proof to their upping the Terror Alert.

So releasing the name of someone who could help us capture more Al Queda member and decipher their codes was the way to do it? Then again this is the administration that publicizes the names of our CIA operatives…

The Dim's and their media lap-dogs were blowing off the heightened threat as a political ploy on Bush's part.

The alert system has yet to work to calm people; in fact most people are de-sensitized. If you want a system to work well then people have to respect it. With all the non-specific threats on non-specific targets, people just don’t believe in the system.

Of course the assertion was wrong and unfair and its the Dimz who want to use Terrorism for political advantage.

LOL – yeah, bush has never done that…

The White House released the double agent's name to the NY Times (no friend of the Bush Administration) as part of some background information. It was the NY Times that leaked the name.

So the white house releases the information to the press, and it’s the press’ fault for using it…

They did this so they could damage an on going Bush led operation that was successfully netting Al Queda operatives.

Because as we all know the NY Times is set against America and only wishes to help the terrorist… I think this ranks as one of the top 10 dumbest and most irresponsible statements you’ve made. Now go put the foil hat back on.

The libs and the media will do anything at any cost to reinstate the Dim's back in control of the nation.

Yup… We evil people are trying to ruin America by helping it’s people live better lives, by returning it to a country that has the respect of other nations, by respecting international agreements we’ve signed, and by following the principles laid out for us in our constitution.

 

[MTB_Rob_NC]

The White House released the double agent's name to the NY Times (no friend of the Bush Administration) as part of some background information. It was the NY Times that leaked the name. They did this so they could damage an on going Bush led operation that was successfully netting Al Queda operatives.

The libs and the media will do anything at any cost to reinstate the Dim's back in control of the nation.

Dude, there is nothing wrong with being a Republican... but do you even read or believe your OWN rationale?

So someone at the Republican White House released the name to the NY Times and some how it is the Liberal Media's fault?

 

[N8 v2.0]

LEAK OF QAEDA SUSPECT NAME CRITICIZED
The Boston Globe |August 10, 2004 | Charlie Savage and Bryan Bender

WASHINGTON -

--snip--

Last week, The New York Times published a front-page article disclosing that an Al Qaeda computer specialist named Mohammed Naeem Noor Khan had been captured in mid-July and provided information that led to last week's alert raising the terrorism-risk color code to orange, or high.

Until then, Khan was assisting Pakistani intelligence in contacting key Al Qaeda operatives around the world. The revelation of his capture compromised any chance he could lead authorities to other terrorists and prompted British authorities to hurriedly arrest a dozen suspected terrorists they had been covertly watching.

The Times report cited both "senior American officials" and Pakistani sources. Yesterday, Senator Charles Schumer, Democrat of New York, demanded the administration clarify which provided the name.

--snip--

Appearing on CNN's "Late Edition with Wolf Blitzer" on Sunday, national security adviser Condoleezza Rice denied knowing if Khan had been cooperating with Pakistani intelligence, but left it unclear where the leak came from: "I don't know what might have been going on in Pakistan," Rice said. "I will say this, that we did not, of course, publicly disclose his name."

Blitzer asserted: "He was disclosed in Washington on background."

Rice replied: "On background. And the problem is that when you're trying to strike a balance between giving enough information to the public so they know that you're dealing with a specific, credible, different kind of threat than you've dealt with in the past, you're always weighing that against operational considerations. We've tried to strike a balance."

Later in the show, Blitzer said this exchange meant Rice had confirmed that the administration released Khan's name to a reporter on background an interpretation repeated in later news accounts. But Sean McCormack, a National Security Council spokesman, said yesterday that Rice did not say the leak came from American officials.

"She was in the middle of making a point and he interrupted her, and she reflexively repeated 'on background,' but she was not confirming it and went on to complete her thought," McCormack said.

Senior intelligence officials gave a background briefing to reporters Aug. 1 after Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge announced an orange alert for sites in New York, Washington, and Newark. Khan's name does not appear in the transcript.

The day of Ridge's press conference, an intelligence official told the Globe that the information came from an unannounced arrest in Pakistan, but declined to provide the identity of the detained person for fear of revealing a CIA operation. That official, reached again yesterday, said he was referring to Khan at the time.

--snip--


For those who don't want to read the whole original NY Times report:

Captured Qaeda Figure Led Way To Information Behind Warning

"The figure, Muhammad Naeem Noor Khan, was described by a Pakistani intelligence official as a 25-year-old computer engineer, arrested July 13, who had used and helped to operate a secret Qaeda communications system where information was transferred via coded messages.

"A senior United States official would not confirm or deny that Mr. Khan had been the Qaeda figure whose capture led to the information. But the official said "documentary evidence" found after the capture had demonstrated in extraordinary detail that Qaeda members had for years conducted sophisticated and extensive reconnaissance of the financial institutions cited in the warnings on Sunday."

For those with short memories; Kahn wasn't the only one arrested that particular day in that particular place.

 

[N8 v2.0]

Dude, there is nothing wrong with being a Republican... but do you even read or believe your OWN rationale?

So someone at the Republican White House released the name to the NY Times and some how it is the Liberal Media's fault?

It was stated that the reporters had been given a "Deep Background" briefing. As I understand it, that means that specific information was NOT to be released by the reporters, and that the reporter who did so violated that trust.

Of course, that begs the question as to why anyone would truct the liberal media with a clear anti-Bush agenda in the first palce...



It seems likely that Rice's hand was basically forced into making some comments that confirmed previous statements and suspicions raised by the Pakistanis...

 

[MTB_Rob_NC]

Of course, that begs the question as to why anyone would truct the liberal media with a clear anti-Bush agenda in the first palce...

Or even MORE so begs to question the actual intelligence (actual smarts, not Intelligence info) of the freaking administration that released the info!

 

[N8 v2.0]

Or even MORE so begs to question the actual intelligence (actual smarts, not Intelligence info) of the freaking administration that released the info!

I think it could be an attempt at trying to bring the focus on the seriousness of the threats we are clearly facing.

 

[MTB_Rob_NC]

I think it could be an attempt at trying to bring the focus on the seriousness of the threats we are clearly facing.

Sorry your logic is off, you can't have your cake and eat it too.

If it was a bad thing that the info was leaked then it is the person who leaked the info's fault, not the media that reported it.

Its almost like saying we are going to war because someone has WMD and then not finding any, then saying well there were other good reasons too. :nuts:

 

[Slugman]

Its almost like saying we are going to war because someone has WMD and then not finding any, then saying well there were other good reasons too.

Or having half your administration stating that there is a link to Al Queda and the other half denying it...

 

[N8 v2.0]

Upon a further study of the NYTimes report, it seems to indicate that the leak was from a government official... a Pakistani government official...




August 2, 2004
INTELLIGENCE
Captured Qaeda Figure Led Way to Information Behind Warning
By DOUGLAS JEHL and DAVID ROHDE

WASHINGTON, Aug. 1 - The unannounced capture of a figure from Al Qaeda in Pakistan several weeks ago led the Central Intelligence Agency to the rich lode of information that prompted the terror alert on Sunday, according to senior American officials.

The figure, Muhammad Naeem Noor Khan, was described by a Pakistani intelligence official as a 25-year-old computer engineer, arrested July 13, who had used and helped to operate a secret Qaeda communications system where information was transferred via coded messages.

A senior United States official would not confirm or deny that Mr. Khan had been the Qaeda figure whose capture led to the information. But the official said "documentary evidence" found after the capture had demonstrated in extraordinary detail that Qaeda members had for years conducted sophisticated and extensive reconnaissance of the financial institutions cited in the warnings on Sunday.

One senior American intelligence official said the information was more detailed and precise than any he had seen during his 24-year career in intelligence work. A second senior American official said it had provided a new window into the methods, content and distribution of Qaeda communications.

"This, for us, is a potential treasure trove," said a third senior American official, an intelligence expert, at a briefing for reporters on Sunday afternoon.

The documentary evidence, whose contents were reported urgently to Washington on Friday afternoon, immediately elevated the significance of other intelligence information gathered in recent weeks that had already been regarded as highly troubling, senior American intelligence officials said. Much of that information had come from Qaeda detainees in Afghanistan and Saudi Arabia as well as Pakistan, and some had also pointed to a possible attack on financial institutions, senior American intelligence officials said.

The American officials said the new evidence had been obtained only after the capture of the Qaeda figure. Among other things, they said, it demonstrated that Qaeda plotters had begun casing the buildings in New York, Newark and Washington even before the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

Among the questions the plotters sought to answer, senior American intelligence officials said, were how best to gain access to the targeted buildings; how many people might be at the sites at different hours and on different days of the week; whether a hijacked oil tanker truck could serve as an effective weapon; and how large an explosive device might be required to bring the buildings down.

The American officials would say only that the Qaeda figure whose capture had led to the discovery of the documentary evidence had been captured with the help of the C.I.A. Though Pakistan announced the arrest last week of a Qaeda member, Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani, a Tanzanian wanted in connection with the 1998 bombings of American embassies in East Africa, the American officials suggested that he had not been the source of the new threat information.

An account provided by a Pakistani intelligence official made clear that the crucial capture in recent weeks had been that of Mr. Khan, who is also known as Abu Talha. The intelligence official provided information describing Mr. Khan as having assisted in evaluating potential American and Western targets for terrorist attacks, and as being representative of a "new Al Qaeda."

The Pakistani official described Mr. Khan as a fluent English speaker who had told investigators that he had visited the United States, Britain, Germany and other countries. Mr. Khan was one of thousands of Pakistani militants who trained in Afghanistan under the Taliban in the 1990's, the Pakistani official said.

If indeed Mr. Khan was the man whose arrest led the C.I.A. to new evidence, his role as a kind of clearinghouse of Qaeda communications, as described by the Pakistani intelligence official, could have made him a vital source of information. Since his arrest, Mr. Khan has described an elaborate communications system that involves the use of high and low technology, the Pakistani official said.

The question of how much to rely on information obtained from captured foes has always weighed on the intelligence business. In recent weeks, even as they cited accounts from some captured Qaeda members as the basis for new concerns about terrorism, American intelligence officials have acknowledged that another captured Qaeda figure, Ibn al-Shaykh al-Libi, had recanted claims that Iraq had provided training in illicit weapons to Qaeda members.

Mr. Libi's earlier claims had been the primary basis for assertions by President Bush and his top advisers that Iraq had provided training in "poisons and gases" to Qaeda members.

In explaining the decision to call a new terror alert, American officials would say only that the evidence obtained by the C.I.A. after the arrest of the Qaeda figure in Pakistan had provided a richer, more credible source of intelligence than could have been provided by any single individual. They declined to say whether the "documentary evidence" included physical documents or might also include electronic information stored on computers, such as copies of e-mail communications.

The Qaeda communications system that Mr. Khan used and helped operate relied on Web sites and e-mail addresses in Turkey, Nigeria and the northwestern tribal areas of Pakistan, according to the information provided by a Pakistani intelligence official.

The official said Mr. Khan had told investigators that couriers carried handwritten messages or computer disks from senior Qaeda leaders hiding in isolated border areas to hard-line religious schools in Pakistan's Northwest Frontier Province.

Other couriers then ferried them to Mr. Khan on the other side of the country in the eastern city of Lahore, and the computer expert then posted the messages in code on Web sites or relayed them electronically, the Pakistani official said.

Mr. Khan had told investigators that most of Al Qaeda's communications were now done through the Internet, the official said. After a message was sent and read by the recipient, the entire communication and related files were deleted to maintain secrecy, he said. Mr. Khan had told investigators that e-mail addresses were generally not used more than a few times.

The young computer engineer, who received a bachelor's degree from a university in Karachi, is the unemployed son of an employee of Pakistan's state airline and a college botany professor, the official said. Heavily built and 6 feet 2 inches tall, he speaks English with a British accent, and was arrested carrying a fake Pakistani identification card.

The Pakistani official said Mr. Khan told investigators that he had received 25 days of training at a militant camp in Afghanistan in June 1998. By the time Mr. Khan had risen to his current position, the official said, Qaeda figures had arranged his marriage and were paying him $170 a month for rent for his house in Lahore and $90 for expenses.

Mr. Khan was in contact with the brother of the Indonesian Qaeda leader Hambali, who was studying in a religious school in Karachi, and who was recently deported. Mr. Khan has told interrogators that his Qaeda handler was a Pakistani he knew as Adil or Imran, who assigned him tasks related to computer work, Web design and managing the handler's messages. His correspondents included a Saudi-based Yemeni, Egyptian and Palestinian nationals and Arabs in unknown locations, and someone described as the "in-charge" in the city of Khost in eastern Afghanistan.

Asked about the whereabouts of Osama bin Laden and his deputy, Ayman al-Zawahiri, Mr. Khan has told interrogators that even the top Qaeda commanders do not know, the Pakistani intelligence official said.

Douglas Jehl reported from Washington for this article, and David Rohde from Karachi, Pakistan

 

[MTB_Rob_NC]

Upon a further study of the NYTimes report, it seems to indicate that the leak was from a government official... a Pakistani government official...

So what you are saying is.....























You were WRONG

 

[N8 v2.0]

So what you are saying is.....



You were WRONG

Yep!

 

[Slugman]

The White House released the double agent's name to the NY Times (no friend of the Bush Administration) as part of some background information. It was the NY Times that leaked the name.

Upon a further study of the NYTimes report, it seems to indicate that the leak was from a government official... a Pakistani government official...

Your new name should be Flip Flop... :nuts:

 

[N8 v2.0]

Your new name should be Flip Flop... :nuts:

The deep background briefing was a fact.

But your musing in the first post of this thread is wrong... the one where you cite the US as blowing the cover of the operative.

 

[MTB_Rob_NC]

The deep background briefing was a fact.

But your musing in the first post of this thread is wrong... the one where you cite the US as blowing the cover of the operative.

You sure? Maybe it was the flip flopping of the double agent's super secret cover and the liberally biased media's attempt to confuse the administration

 

[chicodude]

It's Kinda fun to watch you guys fight.

 

[N8 v2.0]

You sure? Maybe it was the flip flopping of the double agent's super secret cover and the liberally biased media's attempt to confuse the administration

Those wankers at the NYSlimes just might be up to that...

 

[MTB_Rob_NC]

It's Kinda fun to watch you guys fight.

Something has to make the day go by. I really have very little work to do thanks to the freaking current administration's killing of the economy :evil:

 

[chicodude]

Damn



Burn

 

[N8 v2.0]

Something has to make the day go by. I really have very little work to do thanks to the freaking current administration's killing of the economy :evil:

I have some several construction sites that I need cleaned up asap... interested?

 

[MTB_Rob_NC]

Are they close to good riding spots and we would need to talk salary. If the recession is on the verge of booming as the current administration keeps saying you should have no problem giving me a six figure salary right? Don't worry if you don't have the cash available, you can emulate them and borrow what you don't have. It spends the same to me.

 

[N8 v2.0]

Are they close to good riding spots and we would need to talk salary. If the recession is on the verge of booming as the current administration keeps saying you should have no problem giving me a six figure salary right? Don't worry if you don't have the cash available, you can emulate them and borrow what you don't have. It spends the same to me.

Here's your six figure salary... $0008.00/hr...

And I always have cash...

And I haven't seen a ripple in the economy as far as my construction business is concerned. Demand is as high as it has ever been even predating 9/11... ergo all the sites I have that need to be cleaned up...

 

[Slugman]

But your musing in the first post of this thread is wrong... the one where you cite the US as blowing the cover of the operative.

The one where I said

But if the US officials did screw up, they need new jobs…

. Where do I make a statement that it was true. The very line before this I said it sounds fishy...

Try again flipper

 

[N8 v2.0]

:dolphin chattering: